Health Tourism

Author
Discussion

nitrodave

1,262 posts

137 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Can't preach double standards. We get full health cover when abroad, so why can't they when they are here?

E111 https://www.e111.org.uk/

fido

16,752 posts

254 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
nitrodave said:
Except not all countries have a free health service. See how far the E111 gets you in some of the more backward parts of the EU.

XM5ER

5,087 posts

247 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
fido said:
Except not all countries have a free health service. See how far the E111 gets you in some of the more backward parts of the EU.
Like France.

steveT350C

6,728 posts

160 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
nitrodave said:
Can't preach double standards. We get full health cover when abroad, so why can't they when they are here?

E111 https://www.e111.org.uk/
You do not get 'full health cover when abroad'

You only get what residents of whatever country you are in gets, with limitations, and only at state run hospitals, which maybe few and far between.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-...

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
The Don of Croy said:
I know a chap who, whilst on a family holiday in the UK, suffered a heart attack.

He was referred on from local IC unit up to St. Thomas' for a quadruple stent bypass jobby...but as a US national was required to produce proof of payment whilst waiting on a trolley.

The fact that he held dual nationality, had lived in UK for his first 25 years (8 as a taxpayer) and travelled without any sign of ill health made no difference. They demanded the payment guarantee before surgery.

This was in 2001.

Hopefully they have been as diligent since.
You wish. Most front line staff can't be arsed with getting these details as they don't view it as their job. Which to be fair, it isn't. Trouble is no-one else collects the info either.

TankRizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Where's that nutter whose posts consist almost entirely of NHS acronyms, it's about time he posted in here.


Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
XM5ER said:
Hoofy said:
What would happen in another country if he did a similar thing, asking for medical assistance?
He would have been taken to an ambulance, the ambulance would have stopped at a cash point and charged him. At the hospital they would have taken his e111 or his insurance details, he would have had to pay a deposit and claim it back. This is exactly what happened to an English friend of mine in a French Ski resort.
Out of interest, what happens if he doesn't have any of that, like, at a guess, this person in the OP?

voyds9

8,488 posts

282 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
I have been asked to speed up a referral as the patient wanted to get back to his own country to see his wife.


This was added to the referral to point out he wasn't resident.

MGJohn

10,203 posts

182 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Muncher said:
My fiancee is a senior midwife in the NHS and this is a big problem. A large proportion of their workload is mothers that have literally just turned up in the UK to use the NHS. The biggest problem is that they all want bringing into hospital in an ambulance. It's very rare for a native to come in via ambulance to deliver but a large proportion of the "health tourists" will want picking up and taking home in an ambulance.
Not really surprised by any of this now. Reinforced by my own observations recently. Had no idea.

Picking my son up from Terminal 5 at Heathrow last summer what I saw in that short period of time came as more than a mild shock. A number of heavily gravid females waddling into arrivals. I wonder if any of them have sufficient English to say I need NHS.

We've become a Nation of mugs, simple as that. I expect we will stand for the three card trick indefinitely too by the ever longer queues forming to take advantage of our "generosity". News item advises NHS bill these people but guess how many pay up ....


Does the resultant issue qualify automatically for UK Citizenship?


anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
MGJohn said:
Does the resultant issue qualify automatically for UK Citizenship?
Only if one of the parents are 'settled' in the UK. Presumably a father settled in the UK can be arranged for a few quid?

MGJohn

10,203 posts

182 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
fblm said:
MGJohn said:
Does the resultant issue qualify automatically for UK Citizenship?
Only if one of the parents are 'settled' in the UK. Presumably a father settled in the UK can be arranged for a few quid?
Oh gawd. That's cheered me up no end.

richie99

1,116 posts

185 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
gruffalo said:
Some thing I witnessed the other day has got me thinking.

I got off the Heathrow Express at Paddington and at the ticket barrier there was a chap who had been on the train with me, he had a large case and was asking for help.

He seemed to be in considerable discomfort and that just saying to the ticket inspector "I need NHS" over and over again. On being quizzed about what was wrong he could say nothing except "I need NHS", not another word of English could he apparently speak. The tag on his bag was LOT which is the Polish airline company and it just seemed to me that it was probably a case of health tourism.

I also remember a few years ago visiting a friend in a Bucks hospital and she was the only person speaking in English to her visitors.

Is health tourism a major problem for the NHS and would the chap at Paddington have been treated FoC or would he receive a bill, as I left the ticket inspector was radioing the control room to call an ambulance.

What would people on here say, it is fine, the chap was clearly unwell or should it be stopped and if so how?
I spent an uncomfortable weekend in hospital recently. In a room of 5 beds I was the only native English speaker. Next best English was a Russian chap. Biggest pain in the arse was a Polish alcoholic who didn't speak a word of English and had broken his arm.

Based on my sample size of 5 patients, 80% of NHS hospital patients are foreign.

Muncher

12,219 posts

248 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
I think from my fiancées experience the foreign percentage is very high, around 30-40% of births are recent migrants who speak no English.

Troubleatmill

10,210 posts

158 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
Muncher said:
I think from my fiancées experience the foreign percentage is very high, around 30-40% of births are recent migrants who speak no English.
This is mirrored by a number of work colleagues.

Which is worrying.

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
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Nearly a full page and not one of you has said "I'm not a racist but..." Come on guys, at least try.

Muncher

12,219 posts

248 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
It really should be renamed the IHS, it's now the International Health Service.

The interesting thing is my mates who are in the police would also agree that roughly the same percentage of their time is spent dealing with the same group of people.

gruffalo

Original Poster:

7,509 posts

225 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
FredClogs said:
Nearly a full page and not one of you has said "I'm not a racist but..." Come on guys, at least try.
May be because it is not about race or colour but all about entitlement.

I am shocked at some of the responses, not because of their tone but because reading the posts on here it would seem that the UK tax payer is being taken for a mug.


Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
The east Europeans I have worked with have gone home for any big operations. One was from a family of hypochondriacs with one of that clan going to an NHS hospital on 196 occasions one year, we was a useless tosser.

On the ward mum worked on, so African woman came in wanted her mum to be shipped over some something or other. the ward manager said of course they could treat her, did some sums then told her it would cot abut 45 grand if she wanted to go ahead.

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
quotequote all
XM5ER said:
fido said:
Except not all countries have a free health service. See how far the E111 gets you in some of the more backward parts of the EU.
Like France.
Yep... cost me €60 for eye drops in France when out skiing as I got an irritated eye and couldn't see... I had to pay up front to get seen otherwise I had to walk away, even with the EHIC/E111.

Never seen that happen here.

Mr_B

10,480 posts

242 months

Friday 22nd May 2015
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FredClogs said:
Nearly a full page and not one of you has said "I'm not a racist but..." Come on guys, at least try.
You really are a gutless turd.