While illegal immigrants are given subsidized healthcare despite not having valid identification or the right to stay in the country, Swedes are treated much worse.

Despite Region Sörmland having procedures for receiving patients without identification, 87-year-old Inga Bork was turned away when she sought care at the gynecological emergency department at Mälarsjukhuset in Eskilstuna. The reason was that she had forgotten her ID at home.

After suffering from heavy bleeding for several days, the 87-year-old was referred for an urgent examination and made her way to the hospital with special transportation, a walker, and assistance from a Red Cross hostess. But still, she was turned away.

“I think it was mean of them to send me home,” she told Swedish Radio.

Instead of the urgent examination, she was given an appointment for the next day, which meant an additional cost of 300 SEK for the strenuous journey.

Has not been handled properly

According to Marie Bennermo, head of the patient safety unit at Region Sörmland, the treatment of Inga Bork has not been handled properly.

“I really regret the incident and the inconvenience it has caused this woman,” she said.

“The region has procedures for how we should handle these situations.”

The incident has left its mark on the 87-year-old.

“I feel treated like an animal,” she said.

Different rules for illegals

If Inga Bork had stated that she was “undocumented“, it might have gone better:

If you are an adult seeking asylum, you should receive healthcare and dental care that cannot wait. This also applies to you if you are in Sweden without permission. If you are under 18, you should be offered health and medical care and dental care on the same terms as all other children living in the region.

In Samnytt’s report from 2019, we showed how much smoother it can be if you have never paid a single krona in tax in Sweden:

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