– We are not going to enter into an agreement. No matter how many millions it may be worth, says Baber Qazi. He is the managing director of Unilabs, one of the largest private suppliers of X-ray images in Norway. But taking pictures of asylum seekers’ hands, the company will not do that. – It can lead to misconceptions with major consequences for young people, says Qazi. The background for the controversial method is that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) wants to discover whether the asylum seekers are as young as they state they are. Age, in turn, sets guidelines for what rights asylum seekers have, and can decide whether they can stay in Norway or have to leave. For several years, Unilabs took these images, but in 2018 they terminated the agreement. news recently revealed that the survey has not been carried out as promised in the past four years. Instead, more than 380 people have been assessed using a method that goes against national recommendations. For the simple reason that UDI is still without a supplier. Ask dentist to take x-rays of hands When Unilabs canceled its agreement in 2018, UDI advertised the assignment again. There were no offers. They therefore contacted dentist Helle Nyhuus at Oslo Private Tannlegevakt AS. At the time, the company took x-rays of the teeth of asylum seekers, and the UDI wondered whether the agreement could also be extended to hands. The dentist then applied to the state for permission to install an X-ray machine and take the images on behalf of the radiographer after “adequate training”. Radiologists were then to assess the images. news has contacted Nyhuus, who will not comment on the matter. UDI ultimately chose to decline the offer because it was too expensive. Instead, they bet that Sykehuset Østfold could take on the job. Hospitals did not want to lend people or equipment, but neither did professionals at Sykehuset Østfold want to take part in the age surveys. The hospital rejected that UDI could be used by their radiologists They thought the method was professionally controversial They would not let UDI use their facilities, even if UDI hired external radiographers They believed that the assignment had to come from the health authorities Østfold Hospital Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / news That’s what it says in a letter news has gained access to, sent from UDI to the Ministry of Justice in 2019. news has contacted the hospital, which says the assessment has not changed. – What does UDI think that the hospital does not want to participate? – We generally think it is unfortunate that we are not allowed to follow the national recommendations, says Ingrid Olram, head of department at UDI. She adds: – We would have liked to see the radiological community in Norway contribute to us being able to carry out the examinations in line with the professional recommendations. get both of these photos taken, to contribute to that, says Astrid Bergmål, who is State Secretary (Ap) in the Ministry of Justice. Astrid Bergmål, State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice. Photo: Virke Reiseliv The Medical Association says that they will stand by their position as long as new professional knowledge is not put forward. Since 2010, they have discouraged their members from taking part in the survey. The Council for Medical Ethics criticized the method in 2016. – We stand behind this, says Baber Qazi in Unilabs. Nor will the company Evidia, formerly known as Aleris X-ray, make an offer. – We consider the method to be inaccurate and with a lack of scientific basis, says managing director Arvid Austgulen.
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Unilabs and Evidia will not take x-rays of asylum seekers for age checks – news Vestland
