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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

The Hostile Environment and the NHS

The NHS charging regulations require upfront payment for the full cost of care from those who cannot prove they are entitled to use the NHS. Worse, they are charged at a 50 per cent mark-up. Those who can’t pay their bills can be reported to the Home Office. This is one part of the hostile environment, a set of policies introduced during Theresa May’s tenure as Home Secretary, designed to make life as difficult as possible for those without leave to remain in the UK.

Doctors did not go through six years of medical school to become border guards. Their purpose is to look after the sick. 

The government’s Immigration Bill is an assault on the strength and resilience of the NHS and social care workforce. Policies that exclude any individual from healthcare threaten the health of all. While populism usually discriminates against a minority, the NHS Charging Regulations are harming the entire population. The NHS and the hostile environment do not mix.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/doctors-nhs-surcharge-migrant-workers-hostile-environment-lockdown-a9526731.html

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