Highly pregnant asylum seeker refused at Brussels University Hospital
A highly pregnant asylum seeker was refused
admittance to Brussels University Hospital when she presented herself last fall. The
hospital has apologised for the incident and the staff member involved
has been sanctioned.
The incident happened last autumn but has
only now become public knowledge. A
spokeswoman for the University Hospital Karolien De Prez has confirmed the
events: “A woman who was highly pregnant presented herself at the
hospital. Unfortunately a colleague
informed her she was not welcome. It
shouldn’t have happened. We have
apologised to the woman, her family and her buddy. There was also a follow-up conversation”.
In the event the woman give birth at the
Brugmann Hospital (Brussels): “We made sure the woman received follow up for
her child at a different hospital” say Ms De Prez.
Brussels University Hospital hasn’t
clarified the exact circumstances in which the woman was refused admittance.
The staff member involved has been sanctioned.
“It’s unacceptable. We spoke with our colleague. Everybody has a right to urgent care. We’re very sorry this happened”.
“Every week on average we admit between 5 and
10 undocumented patients or asylum seekers.
It’s not unusual people head our way and they always get the necessary
help”.
