HELSINKI, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A new Swedish law requiring six public authorities to report suspected undocumented migrants has sparked a dispute between the government and the medical community, which warns it could deter vulnerable people from seeking healthcare and increase the risk of infectious disease, Swedish media reported on Wednesday.
The law, which took effect on Monday, requires the Swedish Public Employment Service, Social Insurance Agency, Prison and Probation Service, Enforcement Authority, Pensions Agency and Tax Agency to provide information to the police, the Swedish Security Service or the Migration Agency if they have reason to believe a person is staying in Sweden without permission.
The government said the measure is intended to reduce the country's so-called shadow society and help authorities locate people with no legal right to remain.
Healthcare services are exempt. However, the Swedish Medical Association (SMA) has warned that patient information could still reach authorities indirectly when healthcare providers submit information to one of the six agencies.
Christofer Lindholm, chair of the SMA's Council on Ethics and Responsibility, told Swedish Television (SVT) that some people might avoid seeking healthcare altogether or delay treatment until they became seriously ill.
"This is, of course, bad for the individual's health and life quality, but also for society, because it could mean an increased risk of the spread of infectious diseases," he said.
The association's concerns were reinforced by a recent ruling by Sweden's Supreme Administrative Court requiring Karolinska University Hospital to provide police with the telephone number of a man subject to a deportation order who was being treated for a life-threatening infectious disease.
Doctors have also raised concerns about the registration of newborns. Hospitals routinely provide the Tax Agency with a child's date of birth and sex, as well as the identity of the person who gave birth. Medical professionals fear the information could be passed on to law enforcement indirectly, discouraging undocumented pregnant women from seeking maternity care or giving birth in hospital and putting both mothers and newborns at risk, according to SVT.
Health Minister Elisabet Lann dismissed the concerns as "unfounded and exaggerated," saying the Tax Agency receives too little information in such cases to suspect illegal residence. She added that police could request additional information only when there was a specific reason.
Lann acknowledged that undocumented migrants might fear approaching public services, but said the need to regulate who is residing in Sweden outweighed those concerns.
Migration Minister Johan Forsell said the government took the objections seriously but argued that "the alternative, to continue sweeping the problem under the carpet, is far worse."
The parties supporting Sweden's governing coalition had initially proposed extending the reporting requirement to more public authorities, but several sectors were exempted following strong criticism from professional groups. Critics have dubbed the legislation the "informant law."
