Doctors and MPs demand evidence on migrant healthcare policies

This week, MPs, Royal Medical Colleges, leading academics, healthcare professionals and unions wrote to the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, calling for the publication migrant healthcare policy reviews. Signed by The Academy of Royal Medical Colleges and politicians including Lord Hunt of Kings Health, David Lammy MP, Caroline Lucas MP and Kate Green MP, the letter claimed the reviews received “evidence of deterrence and serious harm” caused by these policies “which we consider to be of the utmost seriousness”. Over the last two years the Department of Health and Social Care has commissioned three reviews to look at the impact of controversial policies – such as sharing migrant patient’s data with immigration officials and withholding healthcare from migrants who cannot pay in advance – on vulnerable patients and public health.  None of the reviews have been made available to the public. Healthcare professionals, public health experts, charities and trade unions have long raised concerns that the NHS charging regulations[1] and the practice of sharing patient data with the Home Office for immigration enforcement have a detrimental impact on vulnerable patients, health-seeking behaviour, public health and health inequalities.[2]  As more cases of NHS migrant charging policies causing substantial harm and risks to health and wellbeing come to light,[3] royal medical colleges have recently called for the NHS chargi...
Source: Doctors of the World News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Uncategorised Source Type: news