Hospital On Bbc2

[Ann]

Did anyone watch this moving programme? It showed the case of the Nigerian mother who was expecting quads and went into very premature labour in UK en route to Nigeria. One of her babies died at birth and one died last Saturday after they had all been in intensive care for many weeks (including the mother) They have handed her an NHS bill for £500,000 which she has no hope of ever paying as she just doesn't have that amount in her family (would we?) It's hard not to feel compassion for this poor lady as she watches her babies fight for life putting her trust in God. Another patient on the programme from the Philippines still owes £59,000.

Wouldn't it be great to get a fund raising effort to help her - the same as Children in Need does? The lottery funds some pretty stupid and unnecessary causes - they could fund more individual worthy NHS causes. What do others think?

[carolegif]

This lady intended to have her babies in Chicago where she has relatives, but when she landed in the US they soon Sussed out that she did not have the correct papers that showed she could not pay her bills, so they put her back on a plane to Nigeria. She went into labour on the plane and ended up in London. It is time we sorted this out, my young granddaughter was taken ill in Spain last year with food poisoning. She dehydrated and passed out. The ambulance would not take her until my son paid 400 euros. All in all he had to pay 2,500 euros for her treatment before they would do anything or let her home afterwards! Their doctors have no compunction in asking for money!

[Mass_Hysteria]

Seriously Ann? Much as I feel for her and the loss of her babies she knew exactly what she was doing, She had IVF treatment in Nigeria and then boarded a plane at 6 months pregnant to Chicago. Surprise surprise, they didn't let her in because they said she didn't have papers from the hospital but more likely she couldn't pay. She then ended up in the UK where healthcare is 'free'.
The NHS funds overseas patient care to the tune of £400m per year of which only £160m is recovered.
You and I have already paid for this and you want to fund raise?
It's all very well handing her an invoice that she will never pay, perhaps we should bill all the governments of the the freebie seekers and claim it back from them?

[Mamyalynne]

It was a moving programme and it's hard not to think emotionally - in truth most featured tonight did not fall into the category of fraudulent 'Health Tourist' which is a huge problem.

As stated you'll never get the clinicians on the ground to refuse to treat and I thoroughly admired the way the overseas patient gentleman approached people.


I don't think is one for Lottery funding however.

[Gromit]

Someone here with no compassion for the poor lady

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1535726.html

[Ann]

Yes Mamya - it was really lovely to see the staff full of compassion and genuinely wanting to help. As you say this particular case did not fall into the sponging "Health Tourist" category which I'm not in favour of either. I think each patient case should be considered on it's own merit. I hope this poor lady's other two babies survive or it will all have been in vain ... poor thing.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// Someone here with no compassion for the poor lady ///

And I am not on my own, most of us are sick to the teeth with these parasites taking advantage of our NHS.

It is our National Health Service not the World's Health Service.

Perhaps those sympathetic liberal thinkers should raise the funds for these spongers themselves, and it will then release more money, so that we can treat our own people in the way that the creation of the NHS intended?

[Zacs-Master]

'Wouldn't it be great to get a fund raising effort to help her - the same as Children in Need does?'

Shakes head in disbelief.

[Canary42]

With the creeping privatisation of the NHS which the Tories have embarked upon, we will all one day start getting these sort of bills.

[anotheoldgit]

Canary42
/// With the creeping privatisation of the NHS which the Tories have embarked upon, we will all one day start getting these sort of bills. ///

The difference being is that we will be forced to pay them, or end up in a debtor's prison.

[Baldric]

/// Wouldn't it be great to get a fund raising effort to help her - the same as Children in Need does? ///

Er, No it wouldn't, and would probably have the effect of encouraging even more to turn up.

[hereIam]

I totally agree with Mass Hysteria.

[anthro-nerd]

It's such a complicated issue... but Mamya, like you said, they weren't health tourists. I too admire the way that the doctors would treat the patient regardless. My OH is a paramedic and there's no way he'd refuse someone care - I know these people are only charged when they are on a ward though, but still. I can't help thinking though, when I travel, I always have health insurance... my kidneys are bad, so to not would be foolish. If healthcare is private in their country, why do they not have health insurance? This therefore wouldn't be an issue. I don't expect free healthcare when I'm out of country, and I have been hospitalised several times with my kidneys whilst on holiday (typical!), with bills coming to thousands of pounds - but I had insurance!

[Peter Pedant]

// It's hard not to feel compassion for this poor lady as she watches her babies fight for life putting her trust in God. //

yes I think it is actually ( hard to feel anything besides 'pay up !" )

flew to america for the very best treatment
oops papers not in order - what a surprise !
sent on her way - also unsurprising
went into labout early - with quads - not surprising
landed in London - yeah OK
and admitted to hospital without a charge card - not unexpected
comsumed half a mill of health care with two live babies at the end of it - also unsurprising

can I feel anything besides wonder at her ripping off health care the world over ?

[Peter Pedant]

// The difference being is that we will be forced to pay them, or end up in a debtor's prison. //

the other difference is that debtors' prisons were scrapped in the great reforms of the 1830s
Historical even when Dickens wrote Little Dorrit ( marshallsea closed 1842 )

[ memo to myself : why do I ever take AOGs comments seriously ?]

the only people now who can imprison for debt in a civil sense is the tax man