Gurkha denied NHS treatment
Discussion
IMHO, as this gut risked his life for King and Country, he deseves our support.
Clickie
Gurkha denied NHS treatment because he can't afford visa
A former Queen’s Gurkha Officer has been prevented from getting medical treatment in Britain because he cannot afford the £500 visa fee.
By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 7:38AM BST 01 Sep 2008
Lalit Bahadur Gurung, who was awarded the Military Cross by Prince Philip in 1964, has been left paralysed by a stroke and cannot afford medical treatment in Nepal.
The 81-year-old retired Army Captain’s son carried him to see British officials in Kathmandu, but he was told they could not waive the visa fee unless he was officially declared destitute.
Lawyers acting for the family, who live in the remote town of Pokhara, are now seeking a judicial review of that decision on compassionate grounds.
Mr Gurung’s case is the latest to cause concern among campaigners who say Britain has betrayed loyal Gurkha soldiers, by failing to give them the rights afforded to their British colleagues.
Mr Gurung joined the Gurkhas on his 18th birthday in 1944 and served in India and Singapore during the Malayan Emergency uprising.
He was presented with the Military Cross, Britain’s third highest military honour, for his bravery in fighting insurgents in Borneo and Brunei. He was also selected to meet the Queen when she visited Nepal in 1986, because of his exemplary record.
He said: “The thought that my British colleagues appreciated my actions enough to award me a gallantry medal still moves me to tears. I was overjoyed that Prince Philip flew to meet me and the other troops, and that he would take the time to care about us.”
In July 1996 Mr Gurung had a stroke and was in hospital for more than three months, which cost him 300,000 rupees - £2,300 - virtually his entire life savings.
He is now paralysed down his left side and also has heart disease and diabetes, and his sight is failing. His family cannot afford to pay for further care.
Lawyer Kieran O’Rourke, who represents Mr Gurung, said: “Hundreds of brave soldiers are living in poverty in Nepal despite years of extraordinary service for the British Army.”
Earlier this year thousands of Gurkha veterans marched on Parliament and handed back their military medals in protest at their “betrayal”.
Retired Gurkhas are barred from taking British citizenship if they left service before 1997, and they receive only a sixth of the pension of their British counterparts.
A test case is due in the High Court later this month.
Clickie
Gurkha denied NHS treatment because he can't afford visa
A former Queen’s Gurkha Officer has been prevented from getting medical treatment in Britain because he cannot afford the £500 visa fee.
By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 7:38AM BST 01 Sep 2008
Lalit Bahadur Gurung, who was awarded the Military Cross by Prince Philip in 1964, has been left paralysed by a stroke and cannot afford medical treatment in Nepal.
The 81-year-old retired Army Captain’s son carried him to see British officials in Kathmandu, but he was told they could not waive the visa fee unless he was officially declared destitute.
Lawyers acting for the family, who live in the remote town of Pokhara, are now seeking a judicial review of that decision on compassionate grounds.
Mr Gurung’s case is the latest to cause concern among campaigners who say Britain has betrayed loyal Gurkha soldiers, by failing to give them the rights afforded to their British colleagues.
Mr Gurung joined the Gurkhas on his 18th birthday in 1944 and served in India and Singapore during the Malayan Emergency uprising.
He was presented with the Military Cross, Britain’s third highest military honour, for his bravery in fighting insurgents in Borneo and Brunei. He was also selected to meet the Queen when she visited Nepal in 1986, because of his exemplary record.
He said: “The thought that my British colleagues appreciated my actions enough to award me a gallantry medal still moves me to tears. I was overjoyed that Prince Philip flew to meet me and the other troops, and that he would take the time to care about us.”
In July 1996 Mr Gurung had a stroke and was in hospital for more than three months, which cost him 300,000 rupees - £2,300 - virtually his entire life savings.
He is now paralysed down his left side and also has heart disease and diabetes, and his sight is failing. His family cannot afford to pay for further care.
Lawyer Kieran O’Rourke, who represents Mr Gurung, said: “Hundreds of brave soldiers are living in poverty in Nepal despite years of extraordinary service for the British Army.”
Earlier this year thousands of Gurkha veterans marched on Parliament and handed back their military medals in protest at their “betrayal”.
Retired Gurkhas are barred from taking British citizenship if they left service before 1997, and they receive only a sixth of the pension of their British counterparts.
A test case is due in the High Court later this month.
This is a funny case (no, not humourous) but I think that the way this country and the army have treated the Gurkhas is scandalous. These guys are the toughest little b
ds I've ever had the good fortune to spend time with, they are extremely honourable people (who are also quite good at football btw) and the way we've treated some of them makes me sick.
ds I've ever had the good fortune to spend time with, they are extremely honourable people (who are also quite good at football btw) and the way we've treated some of them makes me sick.Edited by Skyrat on Monday 1st September 10:27
Totally agree. The Gurkhas should be treated in a much better way. They have a long and honourable fighting history with our country and we tend to dump on them once they have served their time. I live in Darlington and you can see the young Gurkha recruits in town that have come in from Catterick Garrison. They are always polite and are immaculately turned out in their outfits (which looks a bit like a school uniform with shirt, tie and jumper).
Don't mess with the Gurkhas, they are as tough as they come as many enemies have found out in the heat of battle!
Don't mess with the Gurkhas, they are as tough as they come as many enemies have found out in the heat of battle!
Skyrat said:
This is a funny case (no, not humourous) but I think that the way this country and the army have treated the Gurkhas is scandalous. These guys are the toughest little bds I've ever had the good fortune to spend time with, they are extremely honourable people (who are also quite good at football btw) and the way we've treated some of them makes me sick.
Agreed, far more deserving of state support than many UK citizens. What I can't understand is that that in real terms it will cost fds I've ever had the good fortune to spend time with, they are extremely honourable people (who are also quite good at football btw) and the way we've treated some of them makes me sick.Edited by Skyrat on Monday 1st September 10:27
k all and would be a golden opportunity for the current government to actually come across a decent human beings (which I guess sadly they are not). I'm amazed they've passed on this PR opportunity.I attended my UK citizenship ceremony a couple of weeks ago. Being in Aldershot, the majority of those attending the ceremony were, in fact, Gurkhas. However, like everyone else applying for citizenship, they have to stump up the application fee - £655 at the moment.
The question is, should foreigners who have served in the British Armed Forces over a set number of years be exempted from having to pay this fee?
My answer would be "yes".
As an aside, I also noticed that the only ones who dressed suitably for the occasion (i,e, wore a suit), were me and the Gurkhas.
The question is, should foreigners who have served in the British Armed Forces over a set number of years be exempted from having to pay this fee?
My answer would be "yes".
As an aside, I also noticed that the only ones who dressed suitably for the occasion (i,e, wore a suit), were me and the Gurkhas.
Edited by Eric Mc on Monday 1st September 11:39
Serve sufficient time in the armed services and regardless of where you originate from you should be entitled to full supportas if a British citizen. There should be no visa requirements for any British soldier needing to return to Britain.
We cannot expect them to remain in the UK once they retire and we must not make it difficult to return if they require medical attention whcih they cannot reasonably acquire in their home country.
We cannot expect them to remain in the UK once they retire and we must not make it difficult to return if they require medical attention whcih they cannot reasonably acquire in their home country.
A very good friend of mine served a significant amount of time in the NZ armed forces. He served as an engineer in the Navy and in their Signals Reg whilst in the Army. Two years ago he was diagnosed with a degenrative heart condition and was forced into a desk job. Not liking it he finished and came back to his homeland (Wales) to study at University. He had moved to NZ with his parents when he was 8 years old and is now about 40ish so has lived there for a very long time. He was granted resident status when he was younger. Anyway back in April we made a trip to NZ house as his passport had been renewed and he needed his residents visa transfered from his old passport to his new passport. To our suprise, he was denied this request and was told that he would have to go through the residents application again as due to a strange immigration rule they could not swap the Visa from one passport to another. My friend was distraught, this meant that he had to go through the same application process as anyone else who was applying to go to live in NZ when he decided he wanted to go back. This was even more annoying as he owned his own home in NZ and had a family and kids there.(divorced). He was basically denied a Visa because he was advised by NZ immigration he could change his Visa in the UK and whilst in the UK he was told that he should have done it in NZ! Now my friend was a very well respected member of the NZ armed forces and being in such an advantagous position had friends in high levels of the civil service. He was called later on that week and was told that if he went back to NZ for 3 months he would be able to get a perminant residents visa and would not have this problem again. The only issue was it would cost him about $200 for the Visa (don't know the exact amount) and about £1000 for the return ticket.
So, as you can see its not just the UK that have these incredible rules.
So, as you can see its not just the UK that have these incredible rules.
Jasandjules said:
FFS the way we treat though who deserve respect and admiration amazes me, then we pay thousands to health tourists each year, and allow thousand of asylum seekers etc. The Govt have some f***ed up priorities.
We see, periodically, some news item where a child has come over to the UK from some cesspit of a country to be treated for cancer/weapons injuries etc - stating how great the UK and NHS is - not that I mind that one jot, but to then refuse someone who is more than willing to lay his life down for the country he fights for is simply wrong, and begs the question, are the children from other countries on the news used only as a PR stunt, to make the lefties feel better about themselves?Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff