Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
174
Individual health care providers may also sometimes be hesitant to provide services to asylum
seekers. Asylum applicants are entitled to visit either private or public providers; providers
are then reimbursed for services by the county. But not all providers are aware of the
provisions for reimbursement, and may be inclined to turn asylum seekers away if they are
unfamiliar with the reimbursement system.
253
There is also some disagreement between
providers, the county, and the National Health Board regarding what qualifies as “care that
cannot wait.” There is no standard definition regarding what conditions qualify, and it is up to
the doctor to determine whether care is needed after consulting with the patient; in practice
this means that care can vary between providers for the same condition.
254
Impact of flows on the health care system
As in other service areas health care provision has been stretched by the surge in new arrivals
over the last year, although county health officials report the effects have so far been
manageable.
255
While the high number of new arrivals has created capacity issues, more
challenging for authorities has been the diverse and complex set of needs that asylum seekers
bring with them.
256
Some of the conditions or illnesses health care providers see among
asylum seeking populations are unusual or occur in more advanced stages than is common in
Sweden; reports of tuberculosis and antibiotic-resistant infections have increased, for
example.
257
Demand has been particularly acute for certain health services, such as dental and
psychological care as well as obstetrics.
258
Some counties have reported longer wait times for
routine dental and gynecological treatment, although major impacts on wait times across
health services have not been seen.
259
3.5.4.
Conclusions and Assessment of Impacts of Forced Migration
Sweden has, over the course of several decades, developed a highly complex, finely tuned, and
liberal protection policy regime. The protections provided under Swedish asylum law are
some of the most progressive in the world and extend well beyond Sweden's commitments as
a signatory of the 1951 Convention. Some of these, such as protection from generalized
violence under subsidiary protection status, are informed by EU standards and law, while
others, including protection on the basis of environmental degradation, are unique to Sweden.
The rights and benefits that accompany refugee or other protected status in Sweden are
robust and extensive, even by European Union standards—which are already relatively
generous in international comparison. Permanent residency—and a path to citizenship—has
long been a core component of refugee protection in Sweden, although this commitment has
253
Interview with Christina Stahl, Director for Patient Questions, Department for Health, Region Skane, April 14, 2016
254
Interview with Christina Stahl, Director for Patient Questions, Department for Health, Region Skane, April 14, 2016 ard;
Socialstyrelsen,
Vård för papperslösa – vård som inte kan anstå, dokumentation och identifiering vid vård till personer som
vistas i landet utan tillstånd
(Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen, 2014)
, http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/publikationer2014/2014-2-28255
Socialstyrelsen,
Hälso- och sjukvård och tandvård till asylsökande och nyanlända: Delrapport 2016,
Report No. 2016-5-1,
(Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen, 2016),
http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/Lists/Artikelkatalog/Attachments/20148/2016-5-1.pdf256
Interview with Christina Stahl, Director for Patient Questions, Department for Health, Region Skane, April 14, 2016
257
An official from the Malmö county health board, for example, stated that providers there are facing conditions they
haven’t seen since the 1970s. High quality preventative care in Sweden generally catches many of these conditions before
they become severe. Interview with Christina Stahl, Director for Patient Questions, Department for Health, Region Skane,
April 14, 2016
258
Because many pregnant women arriving as asylum seekers have not had normal care during their pregnancies, babies
born to women who are asylum seekers are more likely to be premature or to have a low birth weight, according to the
National Health Board. Socialstyrelsen, Hälso- och sjukvård och tandvård till asylsökande och nyanlända: Delr
apport 2016
259
Socialstyrelsen,
Hälso- och sjukvård och tandvård till asylsökande och nyanlända: Delrapport 2016