Sheffield MPs say NHS charges for migrants should be scrapped

Campaigners say migrants are often too scared to get medical treatment because they can't afford it or it may impact on their immigration status.

Some are unaware of exemptions and eligibility to receive treatment and campaigners say healthcare workers are not trained to make decisions about who should be charged.

Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake and Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP Gill Furniss have dubbed the charges "a hostile environment" and say they can cost people their health and lives.

Mr Blomfield said the pandemic highlighted the way that barriers which discourage people from seeking medical attention put everyone at risk.

Ms Furniss said: “Nobody in the UK should be so worried about costs that they do not seek medical attention. If you are ill, you need care, it should be that simple. This is particularly the case during the coronavirus pandemic.”

And Ms added: “From my time as both a councillor and now an MP I know about the multitude of barriers and difficulties preventing migrants from accessing healthcare.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed these weaknesses in our healthcare system to devastating effect. We need to ensure everyone can access the healthcare they need.”

Stuart Crosthwaite, Secretary of South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group, said some of its members were even afraid to register with a GP or get a coronavirus test.

"They are understandably worried that seeking treatment will result in their information being passed to the Home Office and adversely affect their claim for asylum.

"They feel they are being forced to choose between their health and their immigration claim. In a pandemic this has consequences for us all."

The three MPs and campaigners Medact Sheffield have joined national calls for the immediate suspension of NHS charging and end to sharing patient data with the Home Office to ensure that everyone is able to access care during the coronavirus crisis.

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