Sweden authorities have put the decision to deport a 74-year-old woman with Alzheimer's back to the UK on hold considering her health condition. The step comes after the authorities faced severe backlash for not considering a patient's condition and the decision was called inhumane.
Sweden is currently on an expulsion spree after Brexit or Britain's exit from the European Union. The country is expelling Britishers living in the country and has so far deported 1,100 people.
Included in the list is a 74-year-old Alzheimer's patient whom the Swedish authorities were looking forward to deporting back to the UK, her home country, in 2023. However, her family, her son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren, argued that she was bedridden and under medical care and they have been sending letters and making requests to the Swedish authorities not to deport her. After a long exchange of doctor's notes and medical reports, the authorities have finally decided to put the deportation on hold.
Deportation Of Woman With Alzheimer's
74-year-old Katheleen Poole moved from the UK to Sweden two decades ago with the thought of staying close to her family. She has been suffering from Alzheimer's for the last 10 years and is under constant medical and family care. Back in 2021, when Sweden announced that British citizens would present their papers in order to claim residency, Poole's documents for Swedish residence status were submitted timely by her family. However, in September 2022, the authorities informed her family that she will be deported back to the UK as her application was rejected as she did not possess a valid British passport.
The family argued that it was because she could not travel considering her health condition but the authorities did not agree to it.
Since then, the family has made many efforts by sending doctor's notes and medical reports to make the authorities understand the situation. However, recently they asked her family to book a ticket for her but they refused. The family said it was inhumane to separate a sick person from her family and that's when the case was noticed by other people as well as Brexit and UK officials who are reportedly looking into the matter. After facing much backlash, the Swedish authorities announced that they are putting a hold on the deportation, though not ruling it out completely and just postponing it.
Sweden has been very strict with UK nationals in the country post-Brexit. It has deported more Britishers than any other EU country and is ready to impose harsh regularities as well.
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