Mike Hedges AM welcomes assurance that Welsh Government are not going to Introduce Passport checks in Welsh Hospitals prior to providing treatment

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.

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