Foreigners may have to pay for emergency medical care in UK

October 31, 2015 19:50

Foreigners visiting Britain from countries like India may soon have to pay for the use of ambulance and other Accident and Emergency services, medical authorities said today.

UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce charges for A&E treatment on all non-British residents next month. All nationals from outside the European Economic Area, including Indians, planning to migrate to Britain for longer periods of time already have to pay an additional annual surcharge when applying for their visa.

The surcharge of 200 pounds per year for general visa categories and 150 pounds for student visas came into force from April this year. This new charges being planned are likely to be over and above this surcharge.

"International visitors are welcome to use the NHS, provided they pay for it '" just as families living in the UK do through their taxes. This government was the first to introduce tough measures to clamp down on migrants accessing NHS care and have always been clear we want to look at extending charges for non-EEA migrants," a spokesperson of the UK Department of Health said.

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