Surgeon whistle blower finally reveals truth about health tourism
timetosaygoodby
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2303644/Epidemic-health-tourists-costs-billions-Thousands-fly-UK-treatment-leave-paying--NHS-powerless-act.html
-leading surgeon said the cash-strapped Health Service is becoming the ‘world’s maternity wing’ as expectant mothers arrive just to give birth.
-Thousands of others are flying here for cancer, HIV, kidney and infertility treatment – and then leaving without paying, according to cancer specialist J Meirion Thomas.
is it time to only allow British citizens to use the NHS
-leading surgeon said the cash-strapped Health Service is becoming the ‘world’s maternity wing’ as expectant mothers arrive just to give birth.
-Thousands of others are flying here for cancer, HIV, kidney and infertility treatment – and then leaving without paying, according to cancer specialist J Meirion Thomas.
is it time to only allow British citizens to use the NHS
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Unless they pay up front.
How can this be happening and what are the authorities doing letting billions be squandered on these opportunists who shouldnt be allowed in to the UK in the first place. This is as much a UK border problem as health and it needs someone like UKIP to sort it out.If they say no treatment unless cash is paid there wouldnt be a problem.But sort the borders out and dont let them fly in to misuse our health services.
Im sure UKIP could do better
jack
In this case she was trying to tell the secretary that she had insurance to pay for the treatment, but they wasn't interested in accepting it, probably because it was too much hassle to process an insurance claim.
The Daily Mail added the phrase 'cash-strapped'. They chose not to say "...leading surgeon said Health service is...".
Sounds like the Daily Mail have an axe to grind rather than news to explain. So this Daily Mail article can be safely ignored.
except that was actually a fact because the NHS is under so much strain and are cash strapped because the money from the government is not enough to cover all the people (because of health tourism and immigration) and waiting times are increasing
Which is why the Daily Mail's coverage can be ignored. The Daily Mail have an axe to grind and want their readers to reach a certain conclusion rather than be informed of a news item.
its people like you who have ruined the country, you simply can accept immigration and in this case health tourism is destroying the NHS and the country at large
why exactly should immigrants or health tourists be allowed to use the nhs for free when they contribute nothing and British people have to put up with longer waiting times, poorer care, less resources and a larger national debt because of it
what are the advantages of health tourism Nick i'm waiting for some reasons
but can the cancer specialist J Meirion Thomas' comments be ignored?
or is this just another case of shooting the messenger, whilst ignoring the message?
according to the left mass immigration is going to lead to a multicultural socialist paradise and money grows on trees and we have so many resources everyone from around the world should have immediate access to them for free
Blimey. I'm flattered.
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Depends what you mean by 'destroy'
Because medical professions around the World have a duty of care. Wherever you are in the world, if you have an accident you might be able to reasonably expect medical treatment with the medical team worrying about billing you later.
we could be drifting towards amercian style health care. Medical attention should be given on need, not ability to pay.
Overblown poppycock.
Exactly how have overseas people receving NHS care contributed to
I am not going to blame the country's current economic fortures on 'health tourism'. Whatever the means and whatever the extent of this is.
No.
Yes.
The medical profession have a duty to treat acute emergencies. You can't send people in A and E at risk away because they have no money - its just not moral. Its probably not practical either - even the US doesn't wait for you to be well enough to sign a cheque before it treats you. It may or it may not be necessary, or cost-effective to chase the cost up later. It might be possible to make everyone entering the UK carry medical insurance, or to make EU countries fork out for their nationals..
The distinction is with people who turn up with non urgent conditions - who hospitals in my experience do send away anyway.
People turning up about to give birth is an obvious way to exploit the need to cover acute need - but I doubt if its at all significant on any meaningful scale.
would you care to comment on his words then?
Not at the moment. I do not comment on the words of those whose stories have come to me via the Daily Mail.
Nevertheless, I am prepared to comment on the quality of Daily Mail's journalism.
Once again Nick still has not explained the benefits of health tourism to the UK and British people, haven't got any ideas what a shock
What is health tourism ?
And to whom are we ascribing any benefits ?
its so good you have got involved in this discussion and you do not even know what health tourism is considering it is the focus of the entire thread more informed debate from the left
Rather than launching personal attacks on people, why don't you suggest a solution that:
- Doesn't risk the lives of people needing treatment.
- Doesn't end up costing more than the problem does.
The first thing to do is work out how to actually gauge the size of the problem. No one seems to know at the moment how much this is costing and what the other impacts are.One from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/23/health-tourist-nigeria-manchester
The Professor estimates billions of pounds per year, which sounds right to me.
The cost of dialysis is ten of thousands of pounds per year, including support services that go with it. If a migrant is sick and has chosen to fly thousands of miles to get holed in a NHS hospital and not pay pay claiming they haven't got any money or threatening said NHS hospital with legal action then that's money straight out of the NHS budget. Now multiply it many times and you'll quickly realise how expensive things become for the NHS.
Good idea.
Agree another scare mongering selective story from the Daily Mail, the guest on SKY News this morning (who are normally quite Right Wing) said that she has 2 nurse sisters and brother who is a Doctor and they have never/rarely come across this or words to that affect.