We all take healthcare for granted. When we are ill we go to hospital. We expect to receive the highest quality treatment regardless of our financial or social status.
But until recently, if you were an asylum seeker in the UK whose claim has been refused, you are not entitled to receive any government support. So, you may have been turned away from a hospital or have been asked to pay thousands of pounds for treatment when you are in desperate need.
When the NHS was founded, access to free treatment for all was seen as the only way to make sure that the poor and marginalised got the care they needed.
In the last four years, asylum seekers - some of the most vulnerable and impoverished people in the UK - have been turned away from hospitals to suffer and face death. We have been violating a basic human right and excluding people because of their inability to pay.
In mid-April 2008, a judge at the High Court ruled that denying refused asylum seekers free NHS care was unlawful. This is a major breakthrough for our ongoing campaign. However this is not the end of the story. The government is likely to appeal, and plans are still afoot for a new consultation on access to healthcare for asylum seekers and migrants. Watch this space for updates, as we may need your help again. In the meantime, THANK YOU for your support on this vital issue.
