Health

Charity launches legal action against NHS fees for pregnant migrants


A charity has launched a legal challenge against the policy of charging vulnerable migrant women £7,000 or more to access NHS maternity care.

Maternity care falls under “immediately necessary service” in the UK, which means it must never be refused or delayed regardless of a patient’s immigration status.

But Maternity Action says destitute migrant women who struggle to afford food and accommodation are receiving bills of £7,000 or more. It claims its research shows women are avoiding essential medical care in an attempt to save money.

Rosalind Bragg, the charity’s director, said: “Many vulnerable women are avoiding maternity care out of fear of incurring a bill that they can’t afford to pay. We hear from women who are pursued by debt collectors during their pregnancy.

“They are commencing care late, skipping appointments and in some cases giving birth at home unattended. There’s also the real fear of having the Home Office informed of their insecure immigration status if they do seek care.”

The legal challenge argues that the government is in breach of the public sector equality duty. The charity says there is evidence that charging has a disproportionate, negative impact on women and the government has not properly investigated this.

Maternity Action is urging the government to review the impact of maternity charging on migrant women. The charity says the exemptions intended to cover vulnerable women are not working because it regularly hears from women who are survivors of female genital mutilation or domestic or sexual violence who are facing maternity charges.

Health professional bodies have previously called for NHS charging to be suspended. In December 2018 the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published a joint statement calling on the government to abolish NHS charges pending a review.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “While we expect overseas visitors to contribute to the cost of their care just like British taxpayers do, the NHS will never refuse maternity care – regardless of whether someone can pay – and vulnerable people, including asylum seekers, are exempt.

“We recently invested £1m to expand a team of NHS experts so hospitals understand and implement our charging rules and exemptions fairly and consistently, making clear that urgent or immediately necessary treatment – including all maternity services – must never be withheld.”



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