Theresa
May backs passport checks on pregnant women at hospitals in
'maternity tourism' crackdown
The
Prime MInister said the aim was that the health service 'identifies
those people and makes sure it gets the money from them'
Rob Merrick Deputy
Political Editor
Theresa May has
backed passport checks on pregnant women at hospitals – insisting
the NHS had to “get the money” from foreigners not eligible for
free care.
The Prime Minister
roundly rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s criticism of a trial scheme at a
South London hospital to crack down on so-called “maternity
tourism”.
St George’s
University Hospitals Foundation Trust said it had fallen victim to
“organised illegal activity”, with conmen making money by
charging women from Nigeria to have babies on the NHS.
During Prime
Minister’s Questions in the Commons, the scheme was condemned by
the Labour leader, who linked it to the – now abandoned –
proposal to name firms with too many foreign workers.
Mr Corbyn said:
“Yesterday, we learned that pregnant women will be forced to hand
over their passports at NHS hospitals.
“No ultrasound
without photographic evidence, heavily pregnant women sent home on
icy roads to get a passport. Are these really the actions of a
country where it doesn’t matter where you are born?”
In reply, Ms May
said it was important that free NHS treatment was only provided to
those people who are “eligible to have those services”.
She told MPs: “Where
there are people who come to this country to use our health service -
and who should be paying for it - the health service identifies those
people and makes sure it gets the money from them
“I would have
thought that would be an uncontroversial view.
“Of course,
emergency care will be provided when necessary absolutely without
those questions.
“But what is
important is that we ensure that, when people should be paying
because they don’t have the right access to free care in the health
service, they do.”
At St George’s,
all women in labour will be asked for photo identification, or proof
of right to remain in this country.
A document, revealed
by the Health Service Journal stated: “Any patient who is unable to
do this will be referred to the trust's overseas patient team for
specialist document screening, in liaison with the UK Border Agency
and the Home Office.”
The policy was
criticised as “dangerous” by the head of the Royal College of
Midwives, because it might deter women from seeking treatment.
But a Department of
Health spokesman said: "We welcome St George’s pilot to test
new processes to recoup costs from overseas patients and look forward
to the results.”
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