London (dpa) - Britain is to begin charging non-EU visitors for
access to its free health care system, the government announced
Wednesday, as part of efforts to clamp down on "health tourism."
It is the latest attempt by the government to toughen up on
immigration, as opinion polls suggest it will be one of voters' top
concerns in the run-up to an election due in 2015.
Most treatments through the National Health Service (NHS) - which
celebrates its 65th anniversary on Friday - are free for Britons and
many are free for foreigners, whether they are visiting or resident.
The Conservative-led government says some visitors to the country
come specifically to make use of free health services.
"We need to ensure that those residing or visiting the UK are
contributing to the system in the same way as British taxpayers, and
ensure we do as much as possible to target illegal migration," said
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
"We have been clear that we are a national health service not an
international health service and I am determined to wipe out abuse in
the system," he said.
The government has also announced plans to make landlords check
the immigration status of their tenants, crack down on benefits
available to immigrants and fine businesses employing illegal
immigrants.
Last week the Home Office also floated the idea of demanding
3,000-pound (4,600-dollar) "bonds" from foreign visitors deemed "high
risk", to be returned to them when they leave.
Under the plans Hunt set out for consultation, non-European Union
workers and students who come for more than six months could be
charged about 200 pounds (305 dollars) a year up front, in addition
to visa fees.
Those who come for less than six months could also lose their
right to see a family doctor free of charge. European visitors are
unaffected as the terms of their treatment are set out under EU law.
Shadow Public Health Minister Diane Abbott called the proposals
xenophobic, but Prime Minister David Cameron rejected the allegation.
He said the measures represented a "sensible change".
Doctors and migrant rights groups have also objected to the plans.
They say they risk making doctors into a "border agency," and pose a
risk to public health if people suffering from infectious diseases
are deterred from seeking medical help because of the potential cost.
"If people cannot access a GP in the early stages of a health
concern, they are more likely to present at Accident and Emergency
when they are seriously ill and in need of often expensive
treatment," Jan Brulc of Migrant Rights Network told dpa.
"The evidence suggests that excluding migrants would actually
increase costs, leave all of us at greater risk of ill health, and
undermine the integrity of the NHS," he continued.
Estimates of how much "health tourism" costs the NHS vary widely.
Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners,
told dpa that the estimates range between 38 million and 1 billion
pounds. While health tourism certainly existed, it is "overegged",
she added.
"It's not as big a problem as we're led to believe, because if it
was then hospitals would start measuring it," she said.
Setting up systems to charge patients at the point of use would
"fundamentally change the very essence of our health system", she
said, and would be far more expensive than accepting a certain amount
of loss.
Hunt had previously put the health tourism figure at 200 million
pounds, but now concedes that a more accurate number will not be
known until the results of an audit carried out by the Department of
Health come out in the autumn.
He has also dismissed public health concerns. Those suffering from
infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases will continue
to be treated free of charge, according to the proposals.
And those seeking emergency treatment will not be refused, though
the consultation will examine whether they should be charged.
Copyright 2013 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH