When she comes to the Flemish University Hospital in Brussels, the Flemish daily explains that the young woman has already lost her water. Her contractions are strong, delivery is imminent.
But at the time, she was not housed by Fedasil, did not have proof of medical coverage. An emergency worker therefore refuses to take care of her, unless he pays her 2,000 euros in cash. Impossible for her. The young woman will give birth half an hour later in Brugmann. This nearby hospital did not ask him any questions regarding his status and provided him with the necessary care. The UZ Jette worker who refused admission was also punished, according to the Standaard.
Today, the Mauritanian asylum seeker is staying with her family in a reception center in Theux. Fedasil ended up finding him accommodation. But thousands of asylum seekers are still not supported by Fedasil, which greatly complicates their access to health care.
Requested by our colleagues, Médecins sans Frontières confirms these difficulties encountered by asylum seekers in seeking treatment
In Mauritania, the young woman was a tourist guide. But she had settled in Belgium with her family to prevent her two-year-old daughter from being circumcised in her country of origin, she says.
