"NHS hostile environment" and accusations restricting the care of migrant children in violation of UN promises, say doctors

The NHS accusations brought under Theresa May's "hostile environment" program prevent migrant children from gaining access to health care in violation of UN commitments, warned doctors.

Pediatricians and policy experts said the changes introduced since 2014, which require NHS organizations to verify that patients are residents of the UK and to initially bill certain procedures posing risks to children's health .

These measures, justified by the will to fight against "health tourism", have created barriers to access to non-emergency care for some 600 000 illegal migrants living in the United Kingdom – including 120 000 children.

Among the undocumented migrants are many members of the so-called Windrush generation, as well as victims of modern slave trade and slavery and those who have not yet asked for or denied it. asylum in the United Kingdom.

Migrant children now have to pay an NHS surcharge of GBP 400 for immigration applications and are no longer automatically eligible for citizenship if they were born in the UK.

"Children may lose their right to NHS care based on immigration and the financial situation of their parents," says Dr. Neal James Russell of St George's University and co-authors in the journal Archives of childhood diseases.

In addition to the financial barriers to access to treatment, the NHS refers people with outstanding debts to the Home Office and, until last year, would share personal data with agents of the Home Office. immigration to search for offenders.

"Families may be legitimately concerned that seeking care for their sick child may result in immigration control measures such as detention, deportation and even separation from the family," said the authors.

There have been several cases of patients whose immigration status is unsure of late health care.

Dexter Bristol, 57, from Granada, arrived in the United Kingdom at the age of eight. He was fired and was denied benefits because the authorities did not think he was here legally.

A coroner, after his death from heart failure, discovered that he had not had access to health care for two years, which, according to his lawyers, was due to health problems. migration.

The authors wrote that these fears create risks for children, who may be more vulnerable to neglect and abuse that would otherwise be identified during medical visits.

"Imputation is particularly detrimental to newborns," says the editorial, with the maternity ward costing up to £ 6,000 for an uncomplicated – and more complex – delivery – still payable if the child dies.

"NHS regulation undermines the government's commitments to child health and our obligations to children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and contradicts the recommendations of the Covenant. United Nations Global Migration Forum, signed by the United Kingdom in December 2018, "they said. added.

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has been contacted for comments.

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