Health Tourism
Discussion
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 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?
My view is, if someone, a non British national, needs emergency treatment they should get it, but they, or their government, should be billed for it.
If it is non emergency treatment they should be billed for it again but proof of ability to pay should come first, either in the way of proof of insurance or prepaid by credit card.
If it is non emergency treatment they should be billed for it again but proof of ability to pay should come first, either in the way of proof of insurance or prepaid by credit card.
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.
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.
Hoofy said:
gruffalo said:
Hoofy said:
What would happen in another country if he did a similar thing, asking for medical assistance?
I don't know but I assume(always dangerous) that they would not get treated hence coming to the UK.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.
Sheepshanks said:
Muncher said:
It's not that, it's that they treat it as part of their right, they see it as a free taxi service. Lots of natives will get a bus in, get a taxi, get a lift from friends.
Really? I'm from Liverpool. In Liverpool if you want to get to hospital you call an ambulance.Normal pregnancy, no last minute complications?
Are you taking the piss?
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?
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559I 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?
Cost are recharged to the country of residence.
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.Mrr T said:
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?
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559I 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?
Cost are recharged to the country of residence.
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