Sweden - Woman turned away by state doctor for being american

[burnthebeautiful]

http://www.thelocal.se/5932/

Woman turned away by doctor - for being American

Published: 29th December 2006 11:51 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/5932/

An American woman has been refused treatment by a doctor in Blekinge in southern Sweden because of her nationality. The woman's husband has now reported the incident to the Medical Responsibility Board.

Valery Johansson, who lives in a small town just outside Nashville, Tennessee, was in Sweden to celebrate Christmas with her husband's family.

On Christmas Day, worried that she may have contracted strep throat, she sought medical help. Her husband and niece made an appointment for her at a clinic in the town of Karlshamn.

"We went up there and the nurses were really nice. They did some swab tests, which they then passed on to a doctor," Johansson told The Local.

But when the American woman, accompanied by her husband and niece, went to meet the doctor in his treatment room, he declined to examine her.

Rather than introduce himself, the doctor waved the patient's papers and shouted "she doesn't have strep throat, she doesn't have strep throat". He then added that he would not treat her.

"He said he didn't like Americans," said Johansson.

He also disliked hearing English spoken in his treatment room and soon walked out.

"We just couldn't believe it. We were left standing there with our mouths hanging open," said Johansson.

According to Johansson, the doctor was a Palestinian who objected to American foreign policy in the Middle East.

Her niece followed the doctor into the office to confront him but was told: "I don't deal with people like that".

When Johansson returned to the clinic the following day she was met by a manager, who apologised and encouraged her to report the matter to the Medical Responsibility Board.

The nurses were also embarrassed by the doctor's behaviour and repaid the 820 kronor that Johansson had handed over in advance for her treatment. They too advised her to report the doctor.

In the report Johansson has claimed that she was discriminated against on ethnic grounds.

Before returning to the United States at the beginning of January she also intends reporting the incident to the American Embassy in Stockholm.

TT/Paul O'Mahony

[error]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Rosie the Riveter]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Go ahead and cry -- We behave badly in the world and should expect such treatment (or lack there of).

This was supposed to be a joke obviously it back-fired

[CNHT]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Go ahead and cry -- We behave badly in the world and should expect such treatment (or lack there of).

I disagree. Who is 'we'? That woman did nothing to that doctor to deserve that.

What our government does or doesn't do 'in the world'  is really no excuse when we in the U.S. give medical treatment to everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, for FREE.
It's the law. No one can be turned away.
Even Canada will not treat you if you are 'outside' their system and I know someone who almost died from an infection because of it even though he offered to pay himself.

I think it's shameful and we certainly would not get away with it, even if we tried it.

[Minsk]

Unfortunately, it's why the assholes of the world will be killing each other off long after we die...

Person 1 identifies themselves as part of group A. Some members of group B once did something perceived as bad to some members of group A. Person 2 appears to be part of group B. So person 1 feels justified in doing something bad to person 2. Now reverse the groups and repeat.

<edit>
As it appears to have confused someone already... In this iteration: 1 is Dr. Asshole, A is middle-eastern, 2 is the lady and B is American. The next pass will supply new people for 1 and 2, but keep similar groups for A and B.
</edit>

[CNHT]

Unfortunately, it's why the assholes of the world will be killing each other off long after we die...

Person 1 identifies themselves as part of group A. Some members of group B once did something perceived as bad to some members of group A. Person 2 appears to be part of group B. So person 1 feels justified in doing something bad to person 2. Now reverse the groups and repeat.

She was treated poorly. There was no excuse. If we have that attitude then considering every government in the world is to blame for"something" we would have an excuse to treat everyone poorly.

[Michael Fisher]

Why not confront the doctor and ask him why he is being so hateful when she had personally done nothing to him? If he refused to listen to reason, then she could just deem him as dishonorable and go somewhere else.

Why does she go around reporting someone to every authority she can find? "Save me, Mommy Government, from this rude man!"

That said, the doctor seriously sinned by showing partiality toward her.

[burnthebeautiful]

If it was a private market system, the doctor would still be a collectivist idiot for refusing to treat a woman because she lives in a country that has a government he disagrees with. It doesn't seem like he even asked her what her opinions were. She could have been Cindy Sheehan for all he knew, yet he refused to treat her just because she was American.

That having been said, if it was a private system, it should be within the hospitals right to refuse treatment to whoever they want to. But this was a hospital run by the government, something the articles about this incident seem to think isn't important enough to mention. It mentions that she payed 920kr (about 130 dollars), so apparently non-swedes have to pay for health care in Sweden, which I wasn't aware of. So in this case it was privately funded, but still government run.

[CNHT]

If it was a private market system, the doctor would still be a collectivist idiot for refusing to treat a woman because she lives in a country that has a government he disagrees with. It doesn't seem like he even asked her what her opinions were. She could have been Cindy Sheehan for all he knew, yet he refused to treat her just because she was American.

That having been said, if it was a private system, it should be within the hospitals right to refuse treatment to whoever they want to. But this was a hospital run by the government, something the articles about this incident seem to think isn't important enough to mention. It mentions that she payed 920kr (about 130 dollars), so apparently non-swedes have to pay for health care in Sweden, which I wasn't aware of. So in this case it was privately funded, but still government run.

Cindy Sheehan?  

You mean the woman who exhultates and hangs with murderous communist dictators? LOL

I guess would even treat her...come to think of it.

[burnthebeautiful]

She was the first anti-war person that came to mind.

[CNHT]

She was the first anti-war person that came to mind.

Well if you're going to be anti-war wouldn't it help not to hang with socialists who have openly stated they are out to kill people?
I like to stick with non-violence and apply it to everyone.
I don't think Sheehan is a good anti-war role model in that respect.
But having said that, as much as I have much disdain for Sheehan for her boldfaced opportunism and hypocrisy, if I were a doctor, I would certainly forget about my disapproval of her and treat her the best of my ability.

[burnthebeautiful]

Well anyway my point was that the doctor refused to treat an American because of the US armies "presence" in the middle east, without even knowing if the American in question was against the war, too. Maybe her and the Palestinian doctor had identical political beliefs, but he just assumed she agreed with the war because she was American.

[CNHT]

Well anyway my point was that the doctor refused to treat an American because of the US armies "presence" in the middle east, without even knowing if the American in question was against the war, too. Maybe her and the Palestinian doctor had identical political beliefs, but he just assumed she agreed with the war because she was American.

And I say it should not have mattered what her politicial beliefs were and that he should have abided by the Hippocratic Oath:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath

[eques]

Maybe that doctor took the Hypocritic Oath instead.

[TEBON]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Go ahead and cry -- We behave badly in the world and should expect such treatment (or lack there of).

I'm sure the woman has a lot of clout on Capitol Hill.  So if you went to another country and got raped in the anus, you'd throw up your hands and say "hey, what the hell, I deserved that one!" 

come on please!  I only hope someday that everyone who feels bad for everything else that they have no control over will just die out.  It's a sickness.  I'm not flag waving, no crap our country does bad things.  So does EVERY country.  I'm sure the Palestinian doesn't have family blowing up Israeli cafe's either.  Ha.

The 'doctor' should have his license taken.  Bottom line.