02.01.14
Migrants to be charged for prescriptions
Foreign visitors to the UK will face further charges for NHS care, the government has announced.
Extended charges will cover primary care services, such as prescriptions. Charges are being considered for minor surgery carried out by a GP and physiotherapy referred through a GP. Patients from overseas will also pay for optical and dental services.
The DH stated that while no-one will be turned away in an emergency, charges will also apply to A&E and maternity services. A new system for identifying and recording patients affected by the changes will be introduced this year, with the potential to save an estimated £500m with better charging.
Health minister Lord Howe said: “Having a universal health service free at the point of use rightly makes us the envy of the world, but we must make sure the system is fair to the hardworking British taxpayers who fund it.
“We know that we need to make changes across the NHS to better identify and charge visitors and migrants. Introducing charging at primary care is the first step to achieving this.
“We are already looking at taking action and next year we will set out our detailed plans to clamp down on the abuse of our NHS.”
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