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02
Jul 2019
Doctors overwhelmingly vote to abandon billing overseas patients for NHS treatment
Up to 500 delegates at the British Medical Association’s annual conference voted overwhelmingly in favour of abandoning charges to overseas patients for treatment under the NHS.
However, although the rules are set by the government, they can only function if doctors follow them. One delegate said “We are doctors not border guards. Charging migrants for accessing NHS services is a fundamentally racist endeavour – we are complicit in the oppressive regime.”
However, conservative MPs have responded, saying that making the NHS accessible to the rest of the world was reckless when resources were already overstretched.
So-called Health tourism is estimated to cost anything from £200million to £2billion each year.
Andrew Percy, conservative MP, said “It is incredible that some doctors want to open up the NHS to health tourism from people overseas who haven’t paid in.
“Perhaps instead doctors who support this could pay for the treatment of these people themselves.
“Most people would expect our NHS services to be reserved for those who are living here permanently and who are contributing to our system.”
Philip Hollobone, fellow tory MP, said “The BMA is completely out of touch with public opinion on this issue.
“There is nothing racist about charging international tourists for the care they receive over here. Every pound spent treating health tourists is a pound not spent on British citizens.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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