UK IMMIGRATION NEWS

Failed asylum seekers to get free NHS care

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Free NHS ('National Health Service') treatment will soon be available to thousands of failed asylum seekers in the UK due to a government change in access eligibility criteria.

Under the current criteria, whilst those seeking refuge or asylum can access free NHS treatment for the duration of their application and any subsequent appeals, claimants who have exhausted their legal options are denied free treatment. These changes however will see NHS treatment extended to those whose applications have failed and are destitute, have children or are unable to return home. In announcing the changes, Health Minister, Ms Ann Keen said:

"The Government has not been persuaded that this...should be extended to all those who's application has failed but have not yet left the country. It has however recognised the case for those whose claim has been refused but who are being supported by the UK Border Agency because they would otherwise be destitute, have children and/or because it is impossible to return home through no fault of their own."

Of the estimated 450,000 asylum seekers in the UK, only 10-20,000 will be directly affected by the change.

The changes announced also include measures to combat 'health tourism' to the UK, whereby residents from poorer or less well-equipped nations travel to Britain for what amounts to free medical treatment. Whereas as many countries have social insurance systems requiring patients to show they have the funds to cover the medical costs prior to treatment, services under the NHS are free at the immediate point of need. Many such health tourists subsequently leave the UK without settling their medical bills. Health tourism is thought to cost the NHS more than £200 million per year.

Other possible changes include the requirement for all visitors to the UK to hold valid health insurance and barring the future entry to the UK of foreign nationals with significant debts to the NHS. Public consultations will be held on these bills with a view to implementation in early 2010. Ms Keen added:

"These measures strike the right balance between controlled access, the protection and promotion of wider public health, and ensuring that the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable groups are protected."

The announcement met with a mixed response with the British Medical Association stating the changes did not go far enough and that all failed asylum seekers should be able to access free NHS treatment, stating that it was the role of medical professionals to determine what care a patient requires, not their immigration status.

Conversely, chairman of the campaign group MigrationWatch, Sir Andrew Green, believed the changes went too far and effectively give up to 1 million illegal migrants access to free NHS care. This is because GPs are able to register and treat patients without checking their NHS entitlements. Sir Andrew stated:

"We accept that medics cannot be used as immigration officers. That is why we have proposed that each Primary Care Trust should have a small office of trained personnel who could decide whether or not non-British nationals are entitled to NHS treatment. With a financial crisis bearing down upon us we simply cannot afford to offer treatment to the whole world. Nor is it right that those who have paid into the system should be disadvantaged by those who have made no such contribution."

If you are interested in UK Visas, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to the UK.