Upfront fees ‘deterring immigrants from seeking NHS care’

Upfront charging for NHS care is deterring immigrant patients from seeking treatment, including for serious illnesses such as cancer, fresh evidence from doctors reveals.

A report published on Thursday by the British Medical Association said pregnant women were going without antenatal and postnatal care for fear of being charged, and that patients were being informed of four-figure charges just before having surgery.

In one case, a patient reportedly did not seek cancer treatment because she was ineligible for free NHS care, and died as a result.

Full Story: The Guardian, 18th April 2019