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Bloody awful isn't it ....... !
///A quarter of all NHS trusts do not employ a dedicated member of staff to invoice health tourists.///

Why on earth is that^?
It's all very well complaining that NHS funds are being used to treat 'health-tourists' but if the NHS can't be bothered to appoint competent persons to oversee and ensure that it is paid back, just what is supposed to happen?

AOG

He's still being lampooned.
Bad management.
not sure what the NHS is supposed to do - if a "health tourist" arrives at LHR needing expensive life-saving treatment do they:-
a) treat the person first and sort it out later?
b) hold the person against the possibility they might die in the meantime while the bean counters verify the person's financial status?
c) book them on the next flight home - assuming the location of "home" can be accurately determined.....?
Yes, it's amazing so few do have staff doing the invoicing.

I watched a documentary some years ago that followed one such worker through his day, of course all results did not turn out well, there were some surprising results too. A few patients immediately offered to pay and two said they had asked how the system worked after being admitted and no one knew.
My Dad was taken unexpectedly and seriously ill (heart-attack) in Nairobi.
He remained untreated until the sudden appearance of my Uncle's credit card.

I'm not sure if I would advocate the same system here but 'something' ought to be done.
-- answer removed --
Some of these people are some of those people admittedly and some aren't - doesn't mean the system shouldn't try.


Yes have done work for travelling folk years ago, got paid too - maybe we were lucky, mind you we had the vehicles in our possession.
mushroom........there is a difference between "life saving treatment" and emergency treatment.
If someone came into the UK and DEVELOPED a life threatening condition then they should be treated and the cost recovered later if possible.
This is not often the case, as many come with chronic illnesses which need life saving, but not urgent treatment....e.g kidney dialysis or cancer treatmen t and in these cases, they should be returned forthwith to the country from which they departed.

They come to the UK because the treatment is "free."

Why one would travel to Nairobi without health insurance....baffles me.
Since we dont have the professional that invoices all this unpaid practice
how do we know how much it all is ?

or is it an estimate - inflated effortlessly as it cant be refuted and guaranteed to give apoplexy to the average Daily Mail reader ?

usual reason given thirty years ago and still going strong
is that the revenues recovered wont even cvoer the cost of hiring the sleath and slew of secretaries

and yes you can have someone collecting credit cards in cas as happens in other countries but since health care is fre at thepoint of delivery for the vast majority of us..... the 24 h service for that alone will be astronomical per case charged ( NOT per case treated )
It depends on how you measure "Fantastic " ! I remember when it started after the war. It was inefficient then and it has never changed ! It's like everything run by the state . No one has to really account for money spent . Nepotism is rife ! No one is ever sacked for failing to do the job they are paid for. I know a number of NHS employees who complain about the lack of competence especially amongst the non medical technical staff. I was told by a German x-ray technician that not once was he asked for proof of his qualifications . Neither was he ever asked for any references .
I should pad out my reply above - the NHS worker I saw was going round wards where people were recovering following treatment this was not money demanded or collected up front.
As a Brit try getting treatment abroad.

What we should do is refuse entry to anyone entering without insurance, that would cover the emergency bit, the life threatening as Squad points out is not a problem sending them back.

All we need to do is start doing it and word would soon get round the UK is not a soft touch. Unfortunately the right-on brigade want a World Health Service and are prepared to pay for their ideals - with other peoples money.
Production of a national insurance certificate should do it, surely?

What are the arguments against that?
sqad - He didn't travel without insurance. The hospital were not inclined to treat him without 'immediate' payment.
"not sure what the NHS is supposed to do - if a "health tourist" arrives at LHR needing expensive life-saving treatment [etc.]...

What would happen to you or me if we pitched up in New York in similar circumstances?
I know sounds a bit cruel but in USA they ask your insurance details or credit card details before you get treated
The difference is we'd have to pay in NY ..

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