Charging migrants to access NHS will see Covid deaths ‘soar this winter’
Experts warn unfair penalties pose a serious threat to public health
[pixiepic / Creative Commons]
THE government must scrap migrant NHS surcharges or risk more Covid-19 deaths this winter, a coalition of over 30 charities, organisations and academics have warned.
The coalition, launched today by Doctors of the World, FPH and Lancet Migration — a research arm of the medical journal — claims the charges “pose a serious risk to public health and are causing unnecessary suffering and death.”
The government has “failed to act” on this issue despite evidence that the charges are preventing vulnerable people, including destitute migrants, from accessing healthcare during the pandemic, the groups claimed.
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