A couple of points on this:
TM is rightly embarrassed by the Windrush cock-up and has said she wants to "dispel any impression that my government is in some sense clamping down on Commonwealth citizens, particularly those from the Caribbean who have built a life here" and that '...those who arrived from the Caribbean before 1973 and lived here permanently without significant periods of time away in the last 30 years have the right to remain in the UK.' So Albert Thompson should get the treatment he needs and deserves shortly.
Clamping down on health tourism is something the Government should aspire to, albeit badly administered in this case. There was a TV programme regarding actual cases in one of the London hospitals last year and it clearly showed foreign nationals taking advantage of our generosity and the NHS Doctor's obligations under the Hippocratic oath, with unpaid bills reaching six figures in some cases.
Ray
May was right to apologise for the idiotic behaviour of the Border Force. However, Ray is 100% correct about health tourism. It did have to happen and it happened this morning to my wife. She has had an ear infection for a few weeks and decided that it was time to see the doctor, so she phoned the surgery first thing as that is when they release appointments for that day. She was told 5 minutes after opening hours that there were no appointments available and no-one could see her.
They suggested that a doctor might be able to phone her later in the day but as he would not be able to see in her ear she was not impressed. She was told to go to a walk in clinic and see a doctor she would not know and ultimately accepted that this was the only solution. The surgery did say that if there was a cancellation they would phone her back. Anyway, she went to the walk in clinic where she was seen by a nurse, not a doctor, and while she was away the surgery phoned to say that they had found her an appointment. Hopeless!
May has apologised for the Windrush people buy anyone without a legitimate reason to be in this country should be deported and if they wish to use NHS resources it should be made clear that payment must be made. Try getting free healthcare anywhere else in the world.
