10/02/2016 –Austria – Asylum seekers jump the hospital queue
Last week large numbers of people turned up at Austrian hospitals because of a flu epidemic, but had to wait to see doctors whilst asylum seekers were seen to get priority treatment. Now health officials have admitted they were ordered not to make asylum seekers wait but to give them fast track treatment.
The reason given is that part of the asylum process sees migrants receiving a health check for which expensive translators are needed to aid communication with doctors, and Austrian officials do not want to pay translators to sit in waiting rooms.