How much longer are we to tolerate these foreign abusersd of our NHS?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....taxpayers-10-000.html

Why do we allow foreign nationals to come over to the UK and receive the very best of treatment all at our expense?

If you took your car to a garage for repairs, does anyone believe that they would allow it to be driven away without one first paying for the cost of repairs?

[emmie]

I believe the NHS is owed a considerable amount of money from health tourists, so just another in a long line. She must have paid quite a bit for her fare, so why did she think it was ok to plonk herself in Britain and not pay for her treatment. Why doesn't the NHS ask for money up front before whatever treatment these people have.

[Euphemia]

Perhaps the Nigerian Embassy should pay up.

[emmie]

who is going to ask them. ^^

[douglas9401]

I'm sure someone will be along with definitive answers to your questions shortly. :)

[jake-the-peg]

This looks like a rather extreme case being held up ( I think falsely) as representative of a general trend.

Foreigners are only entitled to NHS treatment with regards to emergency treatment and things associated with public heath.

In this case yu have a woman turning up with what is obviously a complex delivery if it involved two midwives, two urology consultants, a radiology consultant, two obstetric consultants and two anaesthetists and an emergency Caesarean section.


The question is how the heck was someone like that allowed on a plane in the first place?


Looking at the larger picture figures between £50-200 Million are bandied about.

Right wing papers tend to select the upper bound - wonder why?

http://fullfact.org/f...costs_nhs_reform-2805

But even if we accept this high bound estimate that it is equivilent to about 0.2% of the NHS budget.

It's probably much less

[audnay]

Some years ago, I was married to a soldier living in Germany, we came home for a visit at xmas and I miscarried, and the hospital NHS was going to charge me for my treatment, inspite of me saying we are only on leave. I felt awful and was disgusted. I just happen to have my passport that showed I was british.

[anotheoldgit]

jake-the-peg

Why can't you address what is after all a very disgusting waste of 'OUR' NHS resources without bringing into it the question of 'right-Wing' newspapers.

But since you have chose to do so, may I add that we would most likely not have heard of such a case, never mind what the cost would have been, if it was left to 'Left-Wing' newspapers.

[argorstran]

Is it possible that it may be settled in the longer term by taking into account all medical treatments required by the citizens of one country while in the other , e.g. Brits having accidents/illness in Nigeria and Nigerians having accidents/illness in Britain , with the health ministries of both countries making a cash payment to the other according to what was owed ?
Nigeria is an oil-rich country so it 's not like it couldn't afford to pay .

[anotheoldgit]

Euphemia

/// Perhaps the Nigerian Embassy should pay up. ///

Or perhaps we should stop it out of their aid money?

Which stands at £210m for the years 2012-2013, and set to rise to £310m in the years 2013-2014.

And before JTP accuses the 'Right-Wing' of doctoring these figures, I took these figures from a Guardian report on overseas aid.

[jake-the-peg]

AOG - you clearly didn't bother to read te link I posted before getting all worked up at my accusation of bias did you?

I was merely rephrasing what was pointed out on their website with regards to Richard Littlejohns article on this.


And just to show what a pile of nonsense you're spouting about "left wing bias" Here's the Guardian's report of the same story

http://www.guardian.c...st-nigeria-manchester

[sp1814]

AOG

Is it REALLY 0.2% of the NHS budget???

Errr...shouldn't we be focussing on something that can really make a difference, such as encouraging more British nurses to train up so that we wouldn't have to rely on foreign expertise? Or rationalising the NHS procurement processes so as to get best value from suppliers? Or even examining the benefits that outsourcing of non-essential roles can produce?

Could it not be argued that focussing on health tourism is like worrying about a leaky tap in the bathroom whilst a Boeing 747 is crashing into your living room.

[sp1814]

argostran

Good point...but I can see an awful lot of red tape which might be involved costs were addressed at that level. However, I don't see any problem with those visiting foreign countries taking up health insurance before they leave.

Actually - that's something that should be taken into account - how much of the cost to the NHS is actually charged back to insurance companies???

Do the figures identify these deductions?

[anotheoldgit]

That is not a Guardian news 'REPORT' it is only a 'BLOG' on a Daily Mail story.

[anotheoldgit]

Yes I must admit it is just a drip in the bathroom tap, so looking at it like you obviously do SP I wonder if Lord Sainsbury would mind letting me have a months groceries free of charge?

After all it is only 'A DRIP IN THE BATHROOM TAP' but having said that I had better watch out for that 747 if he does.

[emmie]

JTP, perhaps you should look at figures supplied by the NHS as to how much they are owed, instead of constantly lambasting the Mail.

[emmie]

it may be a dripping tap to some, but if the services that we pay for including the NHS are bombarded with people who have no business using them, doesn't it make you wonder why people in Britain get fed up, those who have contributed via their NI contributions, taxes.

[Philoctetes]

OK, this woman obviously knew what she was doing. I am sure that Andy Burnham (possibly the worst Health Secretary the country has ever had, according to those who had the misfortune to work with him) knows exactly what the rules and procedures are (or, if not, what was he doing as minister) so is simply calling for an enquiry to waste money and make a political point.
However, I would rather live in a country where we treat those who need it, even if it leaves us open to abuses like this one, than somewhere where people are turned away at the borders on health grounds.

[Gromit]

I had no idea that popping out a sprog costs £10,000 a time. The case of the Nigerian woman must be thankfully very rare. But chavettes are churning tens of thousands out every year, that must be costing £millions.

[emmie]

who are these chavettes you keep on about.