Advertisement

Dentist gives free care to Roma beggars

TT/The Local/og
TT/The Local/og - [email protected]
Dentist gives free care to Roma beggars
Photo: Shutterstock

A dentist in western Sweden is offering free dental care to his town's Roma begging population.

Advertisement

Johan Hagman runs a dental clinic in Varberg, western Sweden, and is now encouraging the Roma community to come in for a free check-up. 
 
He told local radio that the beggars' dental care options back home could be compared to Sweden's 100 years ago. 
 
When reached by The Local, Hagman said he hadn't made the move for publicity, rather out of the necessity to help. 
 
"The people who work with trying to find them houses got in contact with us and we decided to help," Hagman told The Local. 
 
"A lot of them have infections, many need to have teeth removed, and this is just our way of helping people in need."
 
As the Roma community comes from within the European Union, they don't have the same right to subsidized dental care as asylum seekers and immigrants without identity documents. 
 
He added that while communication was extremely difficult and mostly consisted of sign language, his team was doing its best to offer the often homeless migrants a better life in Sweden.
 
"I believe everyone should try and help out however they can when it comes to things like this," he told The Local.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also