Below are links to background information on asylum seekers' lack of access to healthcare, including articles from both the national and medical press.
Refugee Council speech:
Safe From Harm? Meeting the health needs of asylum seekers and refugees (PDF only)
Delivered by Nancy Kelley, Head of UK and International Policy at the Refugee Council, on 04 Novermber 2006 at the "Safe from harm?: Health and social care for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers" conference in London on 01 November 2006
Refugee Council report:
First do no harm: denying healthcare to people whose asylum claims have failed [June 2006]
This report looks at the impact that the NHS Charging for Overseas Visitors Regulations has on failed asylum seekers who need hospital care. Patients denied treatment for cancer and pregnant women forced to give birth alone at home are among the cases highlighted in the report, which calls on the government to restore access to hospital care for asylum seekers whose claims have failed, and on the Health Select Committee to conduct an inquiry into the impact of the regulations across England and Wales.
The Guardian 29/06/06: NHS turns away failed asylum seekers with cancer
A Guardian piece on the Refugee Council’s First do no harm report into access to healthcare for failed asylum seekers (see above). The report contains disturbing case studies of failed asylum seekers with serious medical conditions being turned away by the NHS or forced to pay for their treatment. References Refugee Council and uses some of our case studies.
Student British Medical Journal September 2006: Failed asylum seekers and primary care
This article in the Student British Medical Journal discusses the ethical dilemmas surrounding failed asylum seekers. Medical student Lucy Carter argues that healthcare professionals should act within the law, and let patients be their primary concern.
Health Education Authority's Expert Working Group report: Refugee Health: its present state and future directions
This report discusses the main issues regarding health care for refugees and goes on to give its own recommendations for improvement. Problems with access are discussed (p.10-12) and potential solutions for these are outlined (p.24). The report stresses the need for outreach work to be done and the importance of comprehensive information in the appropriate language to make healthcare more accessible.
British Medical Journal 07/08/04: Eligibility of overseas visitors and people of uncertain residential status for NHS treatment
This article lays out the rules governing access to NHS treatment for those of uncertain asylum status. It concludes that, because of the relatively small cost to the NHS of administering essential or emergency care who would normally be excluded, that this should be provided. It adds that, although the NHS is not an international organisation, it has an ethical commitment to care for all of those within its jurisdiction, regardless of their status.
Disclaimer: the Refugee Council is not responsible for the content of any external websites and does not endorse any view expressed in them. These links are offered as sources of background information only.
