New report calls for free NHS care for all

A new report released today by Médecins du Monde UK, endorsed by the National AIDS Trust, found that measures imposed to stop so-called health tourism are actually preventing vulnerable people living in the UK, including pregnant women, from accessing vital treatment.

New legislation was proposed in 2004 to prevent people of uncertain residency status from accessing free treatment on the NHS, due to a perception that 'health tourists' were taking advantage of free NHS care.  However data from Project: London, Médecins du Monde's free healthcare programme which helps marginalised people access healthcare, found no evidence of people coming to the UK seeking expensive NHS treatment.

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, comments:

"We have known for many years the difficulties faced by NHS services in adequately reaching certain vulnerable groups. No section of our society should be prevented by law from accessing health care. I am glad that these issues are being highlighted by Médecins du Monde UK. Project: London is helping London's most vulnerable to access health care and has highlighted important issues which must be addressed in order to ensure that those at the margins of society receive the care they need, safeguarding public health and enabling them to contribute their skills and energy to help build a stronger and more cohesive community."

The report has three key findings:

1) The myth of the 'health tourist'

Susan Wright, Director of Médecins du Monde UK says:

"Far from the myth of the 'health tourist' our clients were resident in the UK and had similar health needs to the population as a whole.  The average patient accessing care in our clinic had been resident in the UK for nearly three years and visited us to see a GP about routine medical complaints or to seek antenatal care, not for specialist treatment. The government itself acknowledges that it has no evidence of the cost, or even numbers, of 'health tourists.' 

 Ill-advised policies are having disastrous consequences for many of the UK's most vulnerable.  Rather than saving money, they are likely to cost the NHS more as those who are denied care become so ill that they need to access emergency treatment in A&E. We therefore urge the government to reject any restriction on access to free NHS healthcare based on immigration status."

2) Dangerous denial of ante-natal care

Amongst our clients were a number of pregnant women, 70% of whom had difficulty accessing care, thereby putting mothers and babies at risk. This is contrary to government policy that all women - regardless of residency status - must have access to antenatal care. Ensuring access to early treatment and antenatal care is known to be safe and cost-effective, helping avoid the need for more costly treatment at a later date.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust, comments:

"This hard-hitting report proves that these inhumane regulations are damaging people's health and violating their human rights.  It is of particular concern to us that pregnant women attending the Project: London clinic had not accessed HIV tests during pregnancy. One in every 450 pregnant women in the UK is HIV-positive, but without access to testing many of these women will not be diagnosed and treated. 

Without treatment their child is at high risk of also being infected with HIV, when this could have been easily prevented.2   Preventing the birth of a single HIV positive baby in the UK by diagnosing the mother’s HIV status is estimated to lead to savings of between £500,000 and £1 million in healthcare costs and individual health benefits.3  The Government needs to act now to change these regulations, so that the most vulnerable and destitute in our society are not denied treatment that they desperately need to keep them and their children healthy.

We join Médecins du Monde UK in urging the government to ensure absolute and unqualified access to free NHS maternity services regardless of immigration status."
 
3) A much needed European perspective

Susan Wright adds:

"Médecins du Monde is an international humanitarian aid organisation whose international network now runs healthcare projects in nine other European countries. Many of these countries recognise the rights of migrants alongside the powerful public health and economic arguments for ensuring that they have access to health services.

 We urge the government to draw upon the experience of other European countries who do not restrict access to treatment - particularly for maternity care and HIV treatment."