Health Tourism

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Foreign visitors and short-term migrants cost the NHS £2billion a year, an official report warns today.

The first comprehensive assessment of ‘health tourism’ says the true cost to taxpayers is 100 times bigger than some estimates.

It concluded the Health Service has ‘some of the most generous rules in the world’. And it even found evidence of relatives of migrants taking advantage of visits to Britain to have free treatment.

The bill was put at between £1.9billion and £2billion – with only around 16 per cent of the money clawed back.

The Government said it would be ‘impractical or inappropriate’ to charge in full some patients, such as students or those with infectious diseases. However Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt hopes to recover up to £500million a year, arguing Britain cannot afford an ‘International health service’.

You should think of this report the next time you read of people dying of cancer because their medical treatment is too expensive.

[Stan 386]

I can tell you Michael,the situation is far worse than you can ever imagine. The NHS is bleeding billions to any and all that `rock-up' by chance or planning to Britain.

The ones that want the best service pay for a single visit to a Specialist then jump the queue for their treatment.(whilst Brits wait in endless waiting lists).The arabs were the worst followed by Pakistani and Indian nationals. Most treatments were unobtainable in their own country. A recent example would be the 3 girls shot in Pakistan who were transferred to UK (Malala and her 2 friends) for life saving surgery. The other recent case was the girl raped in India who had to be transferred to Singapore but died before transfer to UK.

The others just come to Uk ,give an address, then get their free treatment.

In Australia we all have a State Insurance Plastic card that we must produce at point of treatment. There is no doubt that Australia has the BEST medical care for average man. (and beyond that for those who are privately insured,which is encouraged by the government)

[darkazana 1,736]

_{And this has been happening for years. I had my own experience of the vagaries of the NHS in 1980. We were temporary residents in Holland when I required medical care, for which I returned to England. I had to attend an ante natal clinic in Nottingham City Hospital and was told that I would have to pay possibly up to £2000 for care as I had come from Holland, and NHS was like car insurance, once you stopped paying you were uninsured regardless of the fact that I was a British citizen who had paid taxes! I was quite naïve at the time and very upset by the doctors remarks.}

_{We were having an influx of boat people from Cambodia (I think) at the time, and I questioned about the fact that they were receiving free medical aid to be told that was totally different as they were refugees! It was suggested to me that it would be better if I had my baby (which I subsequently lost) on a plane in flight somewhere between the two countries!!!}

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

It is that simple. Anyone entitled to treatment should produce some form of health ID. Surely the cost of producing these would be far less than giving free treatment to every foreigner and his uncle Dick who comes demanding this and that. I have had a hernia for 4 years and my doctor has no interest in referring me for an op. If I were from another country I'm sure I would have had the op already.

My wife tells me that for every patient that never bothers with treatment, the doctor gets £50 a week off the government. I don't know if this is true but I wouldn't be surprised.

In short, anyone from a country that charges Brits for treatment should pay the full cost at point of contact even if it is emergency.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

In addition to the above, why shouldn't doctors do or pay for a bit extra like checking who is entitled to treatment. They get paid enough money for trying to get away with doing as little as possible for their patients.

[mick2me 3,033]

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

You do have an ID, your NHI Number given at birth, no number no free treatment!

[colly0410 1,183]

In an ideal world healthcare would be accessible to everyone in the world free or at a cost they can afford, unfortunately this does not happen. I wouldn't like to be the person in A&E who has to tell someone who is ill & skint "sorry, no cash no treatment." I don't know the answer, I wish I did..

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

All Europeans can get a European Health Insurance Card when they visit other European country's, its free and you get it from your local Overseas Healthcare Team, if you are sick or need treatment in while living for a short while, you pay nothing for the treatment, the health service in the country where you live pays the bill.

In the 1990s and early 2000's the British health service, was sending sick people to France for treatment,, was that not a form of Health Tourism?

[FLY2 10,109]

Herbert Spencer summed it up "Survival of the Fittest". Can't fault it !