Mike Hedges AM
welcomes assurance that Welsh Government are not going to Introduce Passport
checks in Welsh Hospitals prior to providing treatment
Mike said ‘I fully
support the position of the Welsh Government on this; treatment on the basis of
medical need should be the first priority of hospitals, not checking if people
have the right paperwork; Do we stop treating a child with cancer if the parents
can’t provide the correct paperwork? The Windrush situation shows the dangers
which lurk within the idea that immigration status should be checked before
treatment can be accessed.’
Mike Hedges AM - The second question I have is: have the
Welsh Government any plans to implement immigration checks in the NHS in Wales?
To refuse treatment to cancer sufferers and children would be massively
inhumane. To fail to treat people who have highly contagious diseases would be
a danger to each and every one of us living in Wales. So, can the Government
give an assurance they're not intending to go down the direction of the NHS in
England?
Julie James AM - Yes, on that second one, the Cabinet
Secretary for health has made it more than plain that we have absolutely no
intention at all of charging for any treatment or care received in Wales
for any asylum seeker, including those who have failed to get leave to remain.
Welsh Government guidance to NHS Wales sets that out very clearly, and I
applaud that policy for the reasons that Mike Hedges set out very
succinctly there.
Ends
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