Diskriminering inom hälso- och sjukvård : Är elöverkänslighet en funktionsnedsättning?

Sammanfattning: This essay aims to investigate whether Electro hypersensitivity (EHS) can be considered a disability. The essay’s core begins with the problematic point of view that some people claim they are suffering from EHS and experience severe issues when they encounter certain environments that contain radiation, more specifically health care within hospitals. People with EHS believe that their symptoms appear because of electromagnetic fields (EMF) consisting of radiation from Wi-Fi or mobile towers among other things. Because of this, people with EHS find it difficult seeking medical help for not only problems with EHS, but any type of health issues. This, since healthcare often chooses not to adapt and make their facilities available for their intended needs. The symptom itself is not questioned by scientists, doctors, or politicians. The main thing that are questioned on the other hand are the cause of EHS. Some scientists claim that they have trouble seeing a link between the symptoms of EHS occurring because of EMF. Because of this, two sides of EHS arise. One side claim that people experience severe symptoms when they encounter EMF, while the other side claims that this cannot be demonstrated with objective facts. The essay thus aims to answer two questions: first, can EHS be considered a disability? Second, are these people discriminated against within medical health care because of their lack of adequate health care? The answer to these questions is based on applicable laws such as Swedish law and international conventions which Sweden is obligated to follow. Previous medical research is also important to consider. To help answer the questions the theoretical framework of the essay states that a functional limitation does not hinge on an individual's inherent abilities, but rather on the compatibility between a person's physical capabilities and an environment that fails to cater to their specific requirements. Consequently, a functional impairment emerges. The result of the analysis therefore shows that in some cases there can exist a functional impairment even though there is no established disability or disease.