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Why NHS must treat asylum seekers
I WRITE in response to letters from Mr Beckwith and Mr Megginson concerning Olivier Mmounda's medical care (YEP, February 4).
Firstly, Olivier suffers from Sickle Cell Disease which is genetic and he has had it since birth. He came to the UK with the legal right to seek refuge after fleeing persecution from the Government in Cameroon.
Olivier, like all people, has medical needs and therefore was rightly treated by the NHS for free. To deny someone health care would not only be a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights but also conflict with the founding principles of the NHS; to make healthcare freely available to all, regardless of the individual's background. However, treating the health care needs of migrants is not just a moral obligation. There are many important public health and economic reasons. In order to maintain a high standard of public health in the UK, migrants must receive medical treatment so that highly communicable diseases are treated and immunisation rates maintained. The cost of treating an epidemic of measles would be much greater than treating the individuals' needs. Early medical care will decrease the use of Accident and Emergency services by preventing avoidable medical emergencies, as migrants' health problems will have been treated earlier; a GP appointment costs approximately 20 whilst Accident and Emergency services costs 110. The NHS has a duty to ensure resources are spent in the most effective manner and leaving treatable conditions untreated until they require hospitalisation is unethical and a poor use of both financial and professional resources.
The purchase of medical insurance by British citizens such as Mr Beckwith for travel abroad as a tourist is utterly different to the circumstances of an individual fleeing to another country to escape persecution. I simply do not understand how Mr Beckwith suggests there are parallels between the two situations. Health insurance should play a role in the NHS and indeed some big teaching hospitals use this as a source of income. However, it is not applicable to all situations and understandably is designed for tourists.
Finally, I do not believe that through treating people such as Olivier the care of British nationals is being compromised. There is no objective data to show that treating migrants impacts upon the NHS' resources and asylum seekers do contribute towards the funds of the NHS through paying indirect taxes, such as VAT.
Harriet Burn, e-mail
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
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