On Wednesday, Vestland County decided to grant money for dental care to undocumented migrants. The money is managed by the Church’s City Mission, which is starting a pilot project for people without a valid residence permit. – This is great news. There are more people like me who need help. Gziawi Habtemariam Habteslasie says so. He is originally from Eritrea and has several health problems. Since he does not have a residence permit, he is not entitled to healthcare. Only in an emergency. Gziawi Habtemariam Habteslasie struggles with toothache and poor health. Photo: Benjamin Dyrdal / news The background is, among other things, that healthcare should not be a “pull factor”. In other words, a factor that attracts or tempts undocumented migrants to Norway. The then Minister of Health, Bent Høie, spoke about the pull factor when extended health rights were discussed at the Storting in 2021. The pull factor is still disputed. A study published in the magazine Sykepleien concludes that there is no scientific basis for claiming that undocumented migrants come to Norway to receive health care. Undocumented migrants are people without a valid residence permit in the country they are in. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has criticized Norway for not offering undocumented migrants health care on a par with the rest of the population. People without a valid residence permit should not initially receive dental care in Norway. The background is, among other things, that healthcare should not be a “pull factor”, as the Storting debated last year. Photo: Audun Braastad / NTB scanpix – People have glued their teeth When the pilot project got the green light from the county committee, the atmosphere at the health center for undocumented migrants in Bergen went through the roof. – I was overjoyed, says initiative leader Katrine Meisfjord. From before, they have received help from volunteer dentists and doctors to provide health care. But the dental problems that patients struggle with are often serious. It often ends with the teeth having to be pulled. Linnea Näsholm is manager of the health center for undocumented migrants in Oslo. They have received an extra million kroner from Oslo municipality until the municipality gets its own offer for undocumented refugees. – The decision is historic in a human rights context, says Näsholm. Annually, they treat over 700 patients. One in ten has a problem linked to the teeth. – They often come far too late, and have tried to treat the dental problem themselves. We have seen people who have glued their teeth themselves, she says. With the “Dentist on wheels” project, they will help undocumented migrants in Oslo. Challenging Norwegian asylum policy Earlier this year, the county council in Vestland decided to challenge the national asylum policy, which does not give undocumented persons the right to health care. That they now want to build up a dental health offer is completely natural, says county deputy mayor Natalia Golis. – This is completely in line with the decision that paperless people are offered primary dental care in a vulnerable situation, she says. Today, the paperless healthcare offer varies from city to city in the country. More people should follow When a person is refused a residence permit, NOAS’s recommendation is that the person should return to their home country, says Secretary General Pål Nesse. – But when it is not easy to do, and people are walking in limbo, we are forced to help, and more counties should follow Vestland’s example, he says.
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Vestland county will ensure dentists for undocumented refugees – news Vestland
