Maternity Tourism In The N H S: Woefully Underestimated

[ChillDoubt]

in my experience and anecdotal evidence would appear to bear this out:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10540881/The-300-maternity-tourists.html

I don't hold out much hope the Government's measures for tackling it either.

[Sqad]

Chilli........difficult to assess, as the lefties on AB tend to quote only the statistics and reports that suit their argument and tend to believe that it is an exaggeration and the people with right of centre political beliefs tend to accept abuse in the NHS.

Me?....................?

[pixie373]

Well, as the current system is "here's a room, get on with it". Good luck to them.

[anotheoldgit]

We will not get rid of this abuse of our NHS, until we change the rules and stop being such a soft touch.

A start would be for the airline companies bringing them into the UK, they either intermediately take these women back from whence they came, or are made responsible for the maternity charges accrued if this is not possible, perhaps this will then make them more careful who they allow onto their flights.

If they come from countries outside the EU I would like to know how they manage to get the necessary visas to visit this country?

[emmie]

suspect that some will say well it's only a handful in real terms. Perhaps if the hospitals actually check the women are resident in UK, and are eligible for treatment, if not then they get charged. Or as AOG says they are put on first plane home.

[Eve]

If they are desperate enough to chance it to fly late into pregnancy to here for the free service though, what is the chance of them being able to pay any fine levied or to enforce it, especially if they return to where they came from or otherwise disappear.

The problem is, so long as the door is open people will walk through it, they can so will. To an extent, can you really blame people who walk through an open door? It is the cause that needs treating rather than blaming the effect. What hospital can turn away a mother giving birth.

If medical evidence can be faked, pregnancies concealed etc... realistically, how could the airlines prevent pregnant ladies flying late save going into the realms of their own medical examinations. It's not like fining drivers who have illegal immigrants hiding in their vehicles, save checking themselves, which would be a minefield in itself.

[mushroom25]

just in practical terms, there's very little anyone can do, other than deal with it. if a very pregnant woman presents at the princess alexandra hospital in harlow (being the nearest to stansted airport, where most budget flights arrive) with no means of fiscal support, the local nhs trust can hardly turn her away.

[boxtops]

Even if the NHS determines that the woman should pay, and invoices her, it's nigh on impossible to reclaim the costs once she's departed these shores. Payment at the point of delivery (pardon the pun), as they do in the US, should be introduced. Credit card, madam?

[emmie]

boxy absolutely agree, no credit card no come in. ta very much.

[bednobs]

the trouble is of course, healthcare is so emotive. For example, you are treating someone in hspital who's been run over and has a severe brain injury in intensive care, but then find out she is an illegal immigrant with no right to receive healthcare and no money. What are you going to do?

You have a woman turn up at the delivery suite in a difficult labour with high risk to the mother and baby who isjust about to deliver, and then you realise she is not entitled to healthcare and has no realistic prospect of paying for her care. Are you going to chuck her out on the street? Can you imagine the outrage if her and baby died outside the maternity unit because they refused to treat?

[Eve]

Trouble is though, when you get a woman in labour presenting, including potentially difficult births for the mother and the baby, pre-eclampsia, breach, multiple pregnancies, all sorts of possibilities, what do they do, just turn them out on the street while in labour?

I guess having to present a method of payment may then be a deterrent so it would likely only be the desperate. What would they do in the States? From memory of watching programmes like ER I understand there are hospitals that treat people without medical insurance? I'd be interested to know if anyone does?

[emmie]

surely if they are in that state they shouldn't be boarding a plane, so their country of origin is the one that should be treating them
it may be emotive, but the NHS is not a free for all, and it wasn't designed to be, but for those people who contribute to it. We dont want people dying on the street for want of medical care, however how do we continue to treat people who have not, nor will they because once the baby is born, or they get better they are off home. Perhaps the NHS should bill the respective governments of those treated and keep on doing so until they get the message.

[emmie]

there are also plenty of private clinics where they could be sent to, just a thought....

[jake-the-peg]

How are these //Hundreds of pregnant foreigners are flying to Britain just days before they give birth// being allowed on flights?

As Gilligan says most airlines won't take women more than 36 weeks pregnant and if the above statement were true and hundreds were flying to the UK days before giving birth don't you think we;d see more babies born during flights?

This data seems to be based on hundreds being stopped with false papers - the conclusion being that must mean hundreds get through.

I'm sure I don't have to point out how flawed that logic is.

[emmie]

perhaps the airlines from point of departure don't check nor care, who knows.

[Sqad]

emmie.........if you were 36 weeks pregnant and wanted to enter the UK to have a baby on the NHS, you would not book on a flight that would not allow this.
Even if you did, the airlines would not do an ultrasound scan in the departure lounge! but would rely on medical documentation which could be and is, easily forged.

JTP......I am surprised that you haven't got statistics on the number of babies born on flights between say 1996 and the present time.

[mushroom25]

ryanair require a "fitness to fly" letter from doctor or midwife and will carry mother-to-be until her 36th week. but the letter is no more than a template (downloadable from ryanair's own website) and is probably easily forged - after all, the mother could travel in her 37th or 38th week and call it her 35th, who'd be any the wiser? all mr o'leary wants is her euros.

[emmie]

the answer is lots, however not sure how one gets accurate figures considering how many countries, airlines there are

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/baby-born-on-emirates-plane_n_1842430.html

[emmie]

then it has to be up to the NHS to sort this out, your taxes being squandered, and not just on health tourism.