Hospital refused asylum seeker who was about to give birth

According to Belgian media reports, the 23-year-old Mauritanian asylum seeker was taken to the UZ Jette hospital when she was about to give birth.

The emergency service worker there demanded that the woman pay 2,000 euros, as she did not have health insurance or an asylum registration. The woman who could not pay the money was sent from the hospital.

The Mauritanian asylum seeker, who was later taken to another hospital, gave birth to her child here.

An official from the UZ Jette hospital said in a statement on the matter that this was "a very exceptional case".

Speaking to the Belgian press, the official said, "In principle, we provide health care to everyone who applies, regardless of their situation. We take the latest incident very seriously. The officer who did this has been punished."

It was reported that the officer who did not accept the asylum seeker woman to the hospital was suspended.

It was stated that the Mauritanian woman fled her country so that her other daughter would not be circumcised.

Refugee crisis continues in Belgium

In Belgium, there has been a crisis for more than a year regarding the lack of shelter for asylum seekers and healthcare services.

The Belgian Federal Asylum Seeker Reception Agency (Fedasil) argues that there are 2,700 people on the waiting list, that the admission process progresses slowly because its capacity is full, and that it cannot serve asylum seekers.

Some of the refugees who could not be admitted to Fedasil's reception centers sleep on the streets, while others live in derelict buildings.

NGOs win thousands of cases against Fedasil and the state in Brussels courts. Lawyers take the cases of asylum seekers to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after court orders are not respected. The ECHR has taken a precautionary measure against Belgium for not providing shelter to hundreds of asylum seekers 5 times so far.