NHS whistleblower: health tourism crackdown is an ineffective ‘disaster’

Will the government’s plans to tackle abuse of the NHS by foreigners make any difference? The surgeon who first blew the whistle on health tourism,
Professor J. Meirion Thomas, believes they aren’t going far enough and may even have a negative impact. He first spoke out in the pages of The Spectator and gives his verdict on this week’s View from 22 podcast.

The independent report and proposals, particularly the levy on students and temporary foreign visitors, won’t make much difference says Thomas:

'It's [the levy] worst thing they could do. The biggest disaster that can happen to the solution of health tourism would be to accept this £200 levy for migrants wanting to come to this country and for students.

'If you sell to the visitor what is essentially a travel insurance of £200 then the health tourists will go "wow, that’s even easier than it was before with all the loopholes; we had to jump a few fences before."