£3500,00 Bill For Nigerian To Give Birth To Twins

[trt]

Not sure how true, but it wouldn't surprise me.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-left-unpaid-bill-350000-9631294

[ummmm]

Anyone who turns up in late pregnancy should be sent on the next plane back.

That's all I can think of.

[Khandro]

http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/08/to-defend-the-nhs-stop-health-tourism/

[EDDIE51]

^ There is no answer that I can see. We can not stop giving free emergency medical treatment and we can not hold the patients as 'hostages' against payment.
As PP says while we can and do invoice the overseas governments for repayment we can not sue another government for non payment due to 'Sovereign Immunity'

[EDDIE51]

ummmm, your idea is against medical ethics, against international law and against air transport rules. We are COMPELLED to offer free emergency medical treatment as is every other nation in the world.

[douglas9401]

"We are COMPELLED to offer free emergency medical treatment as is every other nation in the world."

They have to get here first, cut off the problem at source.
As for your 'every other nation', I think that's just plucked from the air.

[ummmm]

I'm not talking about medical ethics Eddie. Of course everyone should be treated in an emergency but if a woman arrives clearly close to her due date, with no insurance, then send them back.

We can't fly in late pregnancy without a doctors letter and even if you get a doctors letter the chance of getting affordable insurance is minimum.

[EDDIE51]

Douglas it is a basic tenant of the hippocratic oath that all doctors must swear to that medical treatment MUST be given immediately if it is needed . The doctors only deal with the medical treatment, it is then up to others to arrange payment if it is required. This is how it is throughout the world.
As said we can't stop them getting here as the airline has been given a permit to fly by it's own government.

[naomi24]

Eddie, I can think of nations that don’t believe they’re 'compelled' to offer free emergency treatment. I watched an English man die in one African country because he had no medical insurance.

[Smowball]

Excuse my ignorance but what's actually happened? Has this woman purely flown here just to give birth? Would she have had to pay to give birth in her own country?

[ummmm]

Smow...yes...it's been going on for years.

Naomi - watching rip off Britain abroad this morning and a hospital in Mexico refused emergency treatment for a small child until the insurance company confirmed they'd cover the cost. The poor child was left in agony for 9 hours.

[Smowball]

So why do we allow this to happen??

[ummmm]

Because they are given a permit to fly from their end.

[EDDIE51]

Ummmm, the entire point is that as I pointed out at 08.28, the patients DO have a permit to fly, they are issued by corrupt governments in return for a bribe. They make sure that they arrive here so far advanced in pregnancy , normally already in labour!, that they have to be taken direct off the plane to the nearest maternity unit. (That is St Thomas hospital for Heathrow! )
In the case of Nigeria it is only the rich that can afford to pay the bribe necessary to get the permit to fly. It's a lot cheaper than paying for private treatment in Nigeria (and safer)

[ummmm]

Eddie - I do read the answers. That doesn't change anything. Heavily pregnant women should have to produce insurance documents at passport control.

[Khandro]

Does the mother have to declare she is pregnant, or is it down to what is visible? If it is the latter, it's not difficult to hide the fact under trad. Nigerian flowing robes.

[Khandro]

^^ to the airline

[ummmm]

Well she needs a permit to fly which are being issued their end, for bribes apparently.

[Smowball]

Wrong!!just wrong. They shouldn't be allowed to fly

[ummmm]

I don't think we'd get a permit to fly outside of Europe.

[EDDIE51]

No one not even pregnant women have to have health insurance to enter the UK. Even if we did make such a law it would not be enforceable anyway due to the compulsion to treat medical emergencies before seeking payment.

naomi, I have also watched a man die from treatable injury and blood loss in a car crash in Africa.
Not due to lack of medical insurance he had that, but due to lack of any medical help within 2 hours drive! No ambulance either not even a telephone service to call one if there had been one available!