Jeremy Hunt to announce new plans to stop migrants using NHS to get free treatment, but estimates of cost of "health tourists" varies from £12m to £200m
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to announce a major crackdown on "health tourists" using the NHS to get free treatment, the Express reported yesterday.
According to the Express, Hunt's announcement will mark the start of a week of cross-Government policies designed to cut the costs of migration to public services.
Under Hunt's plans, migrants will face being charged for GP services at the point of care.
According to the Guardian, the Health Secretary will also unveil plans for a registration and tracking system, possibly linked to NHS numbers, which will allow practices to spot people who do not qualify for free healthcare.
The Guardian reports that proposed changes will not restrict access to emergency treatment.
The Health Secretary was quoted by the Guardian as saying: "No one expects health workers to become immigration guards, and we want to work alongside doctors to bring about improvements, but I'm clear we must … protect the NHS from costly abuse. We want a system that is fair for the British taxpayer by ensuring foreign nationals pay for NHS treatment. By looking at the scale of the problem and at where improvements can be made, we will help ensure the NHS remains sustainable for many years to come."
The chairman of the BMA's GPs' committee told the Sunday Express: "Differentiating between people who come here to get free treatment and those who fall ill here can be remarkably difficult. You cannot ask someone who is very sick to establish the pros and cons of their eligibility."
Hunt has also ordered an audit of the true cost of use of the NHS by non-Britons. Media varied considerably in their estimate of the figure. Sky News estimated the bill at £200 million, while the Guardian put it at £33 million.
The New Statesmen looked at the cost issue in more detail. It reported that in 2011-12, the NHS officially spent £33 million on treating foreign nationals, £21 million of which was recovered, so just £12 million, or 0.01 per cent of the health service's £109 billion annual budget, was lost to "health tourists".
According to the New Statesmen, the £200 million figure was from a claim by Jeremy Hunt in March, but the claim was not supported by any evidence.