UK ’s human rights regulator calls for “clear separation” between immigration policies and healthcare

Drawing on research coproduced with Doctor of the World and Imperial College London, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) called on the Government to stop sharing NHS patient data with the Home Office and to end the policy of charging refused asylum seekers exorbitantly high costs to access healthcare in England.  The regulator argued that a separation between healthcare and immigration enforcement was needed in order to uphold the UK’s human rights obligations.   Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “People seeking and refused asylum are likely to have particular health needs because of past distressing experiences and the traumatic effects of fleeing to a different country. It’s therefore crucial that they are able to fully and easily access healthcare and that their rights are protected by keeping healthcare separate from immigration enforcement. This is just about common humanity.”   Dr Katherine Taylor, a GP and health advisor for Doctors of the World, said: “Everybody within society needs to have access to healthcare. It’s not just a matter of human rights and dignity, it’s basic common sense. Pregnant women need to see a midwife, children need vaccinations and people with chronic conditions need a GP. We know that for the NHS it is cheaper and less resource intensive to see patients early on, to provide preventative healthcare and treat chronic diseases before people develop complicatio...
Source: Doctors of the World News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Uncategorised Source Type: news