Mistreatment in healthcare – racism and unpleasant tone: “Chose the wrong immigrant”

– I was shocked; I have never had my ethnicity used against me so openly and in writing as an explanation for something. She chose the wrong immigrant to use the ethnicity card on. It couldn't be further from the truth.

This is coming from a man who spoke to a doctor about his wellbeing in terms of his role as a father and student.

He later read in his medical record that he was of "Middle-Eastern descent and does not know what the responsibility of fatherhood requires".

– I was born and raised in Sweden; I have not even been to the country in question, let alone grown up in the cultural context attributed to me, says the man in his correspondence with the Patient Advisory Committee in Skåne.

He is not alone. In the new report, "Welcome to Sweden", the Patient Advisory Committee has gone through and analysed complaints regarding healthcare in line with the discrimination grounds.

In total, 233 complaints were received between 2021 and 2022 which qualify as discrimination. The Patient Advisory Committee has analysed 86 of these, all of which are titled "Communication and welcome".

52 per cent of these relate to discrimination based on ethnicity.

A Muslim woman who was breastfeeding her baby in a patient room felt racially attacked when a man walked in without knocking first.

Second most, 16 per cent, relate to discrimination due to disability or age, and 9 per cent about gender discrimination. 5 per cent concern discrimination based on religion or belief. Two points regarding transgender identity were received.

For those with a disability, this involves healthcare staff talking about them to those accompanying them, or saying things that were perceived as offensive regarding their diagnoses.