Government to Unveil Crackdown on NHS ‘Health Tourists’

Doctors will have to check patients are not foreign “health tourists” under new plans due to be unveiled this week by the Conservative controlled coalition Government.

Secretary of State For Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, will call a halt to foreign patients wrongly getting free care, after putting the cost of the problem at up to £200 million a year.

Under the plans, doctors will be able to track a patient’s immigration status from the NHS number.  Ministers will also consider ways to make non-resident foreigners pay for GP care, either with their own money or by claiming back the money from other governments.

The Coalition is pushing ahead with the reforms, after David Cameron promised earlier this year to put a stop to foreigners “abusing” the NHS.

The Prime Minister said, “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 all work together to protect the NHS from costly abuse.

“We want a system that is fair for the British taxpayer by ensuring that foreign nationals pay for their NHS treatment.  By looking at the scale of the problem and at where and how improvements can be made we will help ensure the NHS remains sustainable for many years to come.”