Health tourism crack down provokes frosty response
Government plans to “crack down” on health tourists seeking free NHS care have received a frosty reception.
The Department of Health says “health tourism” costs the NHS around £200 million a year and has pledged to end abuse in the NHS, signalling that failed asylum seekers and business travellers may have to pay for non-emergency treatment.
As part of the plans, Dr Reid said he wanted hospital staff to ascertain the eligibility of foreign patients for treatment.
But the medical profession said the policing of care may infringe upon the delicate doctor-patient relationship.
Doctors groups said it was not for them to check on the immigration status of a person asking for treatment.
Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the new rules placed pressure on those delivering emergency care.
“The issue here is tightening up the rules for more discretionary treatment, what we call elective care, where people have a choice about where and when it’s provided.
“So for people who have life threatening conditions, or accident and emergency, there is no change.
“We’ve always asked people where they come from, we’ve always tried to charge them afterwards, but nothing will stand in the way of emergency treatment.”
The Tories health spokesman Tim Yeo said: “Expecting doctors to enforce arrangements, the need for which have arisen due to Labour’s failure to tackle the chaotic asylum system, is unreasonable and may pose ethical problems for some individuals.”
Controversially, pregnant women, who have relatives permanently resident in the UK, adjudged to have entered the country just to give birth, may have to pay for treatment.
The plans are expected to come into force in April.
Keith Best, chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service, objected to the view that some asylum seekers were engaged in ‘health tourism’.
He said: “It is absolutely disgraceful that the secretary of state should single out asylum seekers again. Does he not realise that this is merely fanning the flames of racism?
“It looks as though again it is the Government raising a populous message about asylum seekers merely to fan the flames of people saying that these people shouldn’t be here in the first place.”
