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Boot
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England
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26-06-2019, 10:51 PM
81

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

When I took a friend to an A&E department in Greece, my friend was taken straight to a treatment cubicle to have her severe head wound treated.
Even while the medic was swabbing away the blood to get a better look at the wound, she was also asking me if my friend had medical insurance or an EHIC.
Luckily, I was carrying my friend’s handbag and I knew she had her EHIC in her purse, so I was able to produce it. The medic didn’t check it herself but asked me to take it to the Admin Office down the corridor, which I did.

I expected to have to produce the EHIC at some point before we left the hospital but I was a bit surprised to be asked for it immediately. However, I didn’t feel that we were being “racially profiled” at all.

I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d said she had no EHIC or insurance.

From what I read in the OP, doctors in UK are not being expected to ask for this info up front in A&E emergency treatment situations, are they?
If patients attend hospital for non-emergency treatments, they have to check in at reception anyway, so I expect it would be the admin team who do all the ID/ insurance checks / billing, so I’m not understanding the comment about “doctors are not border guards”

I think it’s reasonable to expect non-residents to pay for medical treatments, just as I would expect to have to pay when I travel to other countries - that’s why people take out travel insurance to cover medical expenses.
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Muddy
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26-06-2019, 11:34 PM
82

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by swimfeeders ->
Hi

Muddy, we are very short of Doctors and Nurses.
All the more reason we don't offer to treat the entire world for free.
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Muddy
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26-06-2019, 11:36 PM
83

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by Boot ->
When I took a friend to an A&E department in Greece, my friend was taken straight to a treatment cubicle to have her severe head wound treated.
Even while the medic was swabbing away the blood to get a better look at the wound, she was also asking me if my friend had medical insurance or an EHIC.
Luckily, I was carrying my friend’s handbag and I knew she had her EHIC in her purse, so I was able to produce it. The medic didn’t check it herself but asked me to take it to the Admin Office down the corridor, which I did.

I expected to have to produce the EHIC at some point before we left the hospital but I was a bit surprised to be asked for it immediately. However, I didn’t feel that we were being “racially profiled” at all.

I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d said she had no EHIC or insurance.

From what I read in the OP, doctors in UK are not being expected to ask for this info up front in A&E emergency treatment situations, are they?
If patients attend hospital for non-emergency treatments, they have to check in at reception anyway, so I expect it would be the admin team who do all the ID/ insurance checks / billing, so I’m not understanding the comment about “doctors are not border guards”

I think it’s reasonable to expect non-residents to pay for medical treatments, just as I would expect to have to pay when I travel to other countries - that’s why people take out travel insurance to cover medical expenses.
Thank goodness for a sensible post !
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27-06-2019, 06:52 AM
84

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by Muddy ->
All the more reason we don't offer to treat the entire world for free.
Hi

Exactly.

However it is an Admin Function, not a Medical Function.

There is a solution to this and that is to reduce the pay of NHS Managers if they do not recharge costs.

The NHS is riddled with so called Managers who earn more than Consultants.

They should earn their money.

I will repeat, it is a National Disgrace, nobody else is as stupid as we are.
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Tedc
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27-06-2019, 09:01 AM
85

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by AnnieS ->
I don't see what it has to do with the doctors. The comment "Drs are not border guards" is correct. It's not up to them to vet patients and check whether they are eligible for free treatment. If they are being put into this position by the Home office or NHS then of course that's wrong.
I'm missing something here.

Our local surgeries are set up as a sort of Company, run by Doctors who are paid to manage it.

If the Doctors are paid to manage this outfit then, surely, they are managing all aspects of it.

Anyone who turns up, or rings in, for an appointment, should be checked, at reception, to ensure that they qualify.

I can't see any reason why Doctors should think that their workload is increased, by these financial checks, as the receptionists take care of it anyway.

I'll ask when next I go over there!
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27-06-2019, 10:46 AM
86

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by AnnieS ->
Totally! You only get 15 mins if you are lucky why would you want to waste half of that checking a passport? Imagine the queues at the surgery. They are bad enough already.

This is typical muddling of facts to distract people from the real problems. Swim has pointed those out but why are they never in the rags?
Annie, my understanding is that a/ GP Surgeries are not included in overseas visitors having to pay, and b/ emergencies at hospitals with their subsequent recovery treatment is also not included in overseas visitors having to pay, so what is the big problem?
Are you telling us that it is too much trouble for every hospital in this country to employ 2 clerks to deal with the simple matter of checking anyone who enters that premises for treatment? A simple task of asking for proof of residence of 6 months or more? Are the top Doctors who are paid a top salary, so incapable of arranging the employment to do this basic task?

You may well say that it is not the Doctors job to be border guards, fair enough, drop their salaries then, or remove them from their position that entitles them to the extra salary that they obviously receive for their administrative duties and put in place an administrator who IS capable of setting up a system of ensuring checks are carried out.

They can't have it both ways. When I apply for my senior citizen railcard or blue badge, I have to provide photographs, passport, utility bills etc to prove who I am. Is it so difficult for the top Doctors to make arrangements to do the same?
realspeed
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27-06-2019, 11:00 AM
87

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

What is worse is people who go and live abroad until old age creeps up and they need medical treatment. They then come running back to the UK for free NHS help. These people are the lowest of the low in my opinion. if they want to do that then first of all they should be made to pay into the NHS for all the years they lived abroad
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27-06-2019, 11:08 AM
88

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Not that many people do that .
Most people who work abroad continue to pay their NI in the uk .
If they retire abroad they have paid in all their life to the NHS .
People who cost the NHS are expectant mothers form Nigeria people who come from Africa with aids or some expensive condition or people from third world countries who visit their relatives/friends in order to get free medical treatment .
I don't blame them it's our system that is at fault
Donkeyman
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27-06-2019, 11:36 AM
89

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

Originally Posted by realspeed ->
What is worse is people who go and live abroad until old age creeps up and they need medical treatment. They then come running back to the UK for free NHS help. These people are the lowest of the low in my opinion. if they want to do that then first of all they should be made to pay into the NHS for all the years they lived abroad
As one of the lowest of the low Realspeed l would like to
point out that not all returning expats crept back to uk for
free NHS treatment etc in their old age!
In my case l chose to pay annual payments to the uk national
insurance and pension system after first paying any outstanding
shortfall! consequently l am fully entitled to any benifits that
a uk citizen is presumably entitled to?
However l do find that uk has deteriorated considerably in
most respects, particularly in admimistration matters and
organisation, and seems to me to be over- administered?
realspeed
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27-06-2019, 11:53 AM
90

Re: Doctors say it is Racist to charge NHS Health Tourists!

I can understand why hospitals and the like don't ask for proof of medical insurance before being admitted into our hospitals.
Simple answer, no insurance or proof of contribution no access to NHS. Not our problem if they have serious medical issues and try and get free treatment, send them back to where they came from at their expense

Slightly off topic but we should stop all oversea financial aid at the same time and put the money into our own NHS
 
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