From Iceland — Doctor Says Deportation Of Infirm Albanian Child Is A Death Sentence

Doctor Says Deportation Of Infirm Albanian Child Is A Death Sentence

Published December 11, 2015

Gabríel Benjamin
Photo by
Screenshot from Facebook video by Óðinn S. Ragnarsson

An Icelandic doctor has criticised the Directorate of Immigration for deporting an Albanian family with a sick toddler, claiming that the boy probably won’t see his tenth birthday because of their decisions.

Three-year-old Albanian Kevi Pepoj and his family was deported yesterday along with four other families. Kevi has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that requires a regime of medication to prevent frequent and serious lung infections.

Dr. Kristján Dereksson, a paediatrician who is specialising in Sweden, has attended to children like Kevi and stated in a post on Facebook that Kevi probably won’t see his ten year birthday if he remains in Albania.

“I believe that staff working at the Directorate of Immigration either didn’t know about the Albanian healthcare system or chose to look past the fact that people need to pay for medical assistance or bribe staff to get help. Do they think that the family can afford paying medication (circa 6-8 different kinds), and pyshiotherapy and doctor visits every two or three months? Pay for week-long or longer hospital admissions when he gets serious pneumonia? Pay for oxygen tanks and tubes when his lungs are so full of mucus, inflammations, germs and scar tissue that he needs oxygen to survive? Is it likely that this family can afford that?”

Red Cross employee Arndís Anna K. Gunnarsdóttir told DV that the Directorate of Immigration had received documents about Kevi’s condition before he and his family were deported.

See Also:

Albanian Family Deported In The Middle Of The Night

Directorate Of Immigration Are Fascists, Say Vandals

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