The NHS

[Captain Kong]

Before any visitor to this country they must not be allowed in unless they have medical Insurance, How daft to visit any country without Insurance.
When I was lying on a trolley in the Emergency Room in Honolulu, the first question was , "Do you have Insurance,"??
when I said Yes, they checked up on it and then I was sent for treatment.
That is the only way .
Brian

[Jim Brady]

Do you have insurance ???? An interesting call to our local radio from a lady telling of her time in Australia 6 years ago.She collapsed in a shopping mall,a lady attended to her whilst she was laying on the floor and phoned for an ambulance.The ambulance arrived and the paramedics asked to see her insurance before she was allowed into the ambulance and in fact wouldn't engage with her until the insurance documents were produced.she was laying there quite a while as her husband who was upset fumbled through her handbag,document produced she was allowed into ambulance.What would've happened if the documents would've been left where they were staying.Anyway a couple of weeks after she arrived back in the UK she received a demand for $78.00 for the ambulance and if not paid they would send in the bailiffs !!!Very interesting.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[John Arton]

On the 29th of Nov. 1969 I managed to rip the flesh off my left heel whilst attempting to stop a 200 ton Munck travelling gantry crane from moving, the crane won and I lost, ending up in the main hospital emergency room in Vancouver. Myself (complete with foot bandaged up and still leaking blood) along with the Chief Steward and Ambulance crew had been sent there by the ships Agent who had supposedly phoned ahead to the hospital informing them of my imminent arrival and that all costs were to be billed to the Agency. Upon arrival in the emergency room and after waiting for some time a nurse started to unravel the bandages whilst the attending Doctor was filling out the admission forms. As soon as he asked my occupation and I replied "merchant seaman", he stopped filling in the form, told us he would not be treating me and walked away telling the nurse to put back the bandages she had been unravelling. So we ended up getting thrown out of that hospital. Fortunately the ambulance crew were still outside so they suggested that we tried the Veterans Hospital in Vancouver so off we drove. On arrival there, I was attended to thankfully though I had to wait until a cocktail gowned X ray lady operator turned up before any X rays were taken (she was quite grumpy having been called in from a party she was at) and then a further hour or so before a surgeon was available to stich me up. The accident happened at 1700 in the evening and it was not until 0200 the next morning that I had been stitched up and into bed on a ward, being unable to return to the ship. Spent 10 days in that hospital (fantastic staff) before being flown home (that's another story).
The agent (and the ship) had a real blow up as the day after he accident happened they could find no trace of me at the hospital that I had meant to have been in, they even thought I could have copped my clogs. They only found out where I was when they eventually got hold of the Ambulance crew. This resulted in an inquiry with that original hospital and doctor getting a severe reprimand.
So as to waiting times in NHS, you can get a much, if not more, in a private system. One thing it did teach me was never to travel without some form of, or proof of, medical insurance and this was proven to us when the wife collapsed one night in Times Square, New York. She was rushed into emergency and straight away given tests, bloods taken etc. and prescribed medication. After an hour or so she was discharged as being fit but getting out past the gorilla on the desk was a different matter. 3 hours getting approval faxed over by our medical travel insurers.
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

We had been in the Philippines in 2002 and then on to Sydney, Then Anne`s legs started to swell and Bright red, could watch the red moving up each leg like a thermometer.
So I took her to Sydney General Hospital. They were very good. The Doctor said No problems, we have a Reciprocal Agreement with the UK NHS,
You treat Australians, we treat Brits. But if you need an Operation then we need Insurance.
She was given a bed and was there for four days being treated for an infection caused by insect bites in the Filipino jungle. Food was great. and even the Nurse who looked after her was from BOLTON. UK.
I had to just wander round my old alehouses on my own for four nights, In Jacksons on George St, four beautiful Nurse got talking to me and then I was dancing with them, having drinks and took them for a meal , I had a great time. Then they decided SHE was well enough to be released, as we were going in a Camper Van over the Blueys to Dubbo and Wilcania, beyond the Black Stump to Broken Hill and Silverton.
Before she left hospital they gave her four free prescriptions in case she needed more medication.
So in Australia SHE was well treated for free, only if she needed an operation would she have had to pay.
Cheers
Brian

[Jim Brady]

Brian I would've thought that's how it would've worked,a reciprocal agreement.Have a listen to what this woman has to say also about her son being undr insured in oz now has to take out a 2nd mortgage.Start at 15 minutes.
Regards.
Jim.B.

BBC Radio Merseyside - Roger Phillips, 06/02/2017

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Jim,
Yes I have just heard the lady, what can I say? I can only say what happened to Anne, she was well looked after, four nights in Hospital in Sydney and treated and cured all for Free, But if she had required an Operation then the payments start , and also free prescriptions for our journey in the camper van. We didn't need an ambulance so I don't know if there is a charge for that. Also different States, she was on the Gold Coast up in Queensland while we were in NSW in Sydney. Maybe a different method there.
I do know that my Hospital in Hawaii cost a total of 86,000 Dollars including two life saving operations as I was dying, with less than four days to live without treatment. Three weeks in hospital, private room, lounge, bathroom , a telephone ,TV and a Computer with internet and beautiful Hawaiian Nurses sat at my bedside 24 hours a day. Lovely. That was worth it. I would have sold my house gladly to pay for that.
But the Insurance jus paid for everything and next year no extra on the fees. That was through my bank RSB.
I noted that a relative went to Australia without Insurance and now complaining at the cost. Insurance is a necessity if travelling. And a lot of people go for the cheapest Insurance Company and that is why her Insurance Company went bust. The Bank is the best option and is usually the cheapest anyway.
Cheers
Brian,.

PS
Maybe it was a Private Ambulance that came and so they would charge for the service.

[Jim Brady]

Brian her relative,her son lived in Australia but he was under insured.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[thomas michael]

hi dave
your on the wrong track on this one I'm afraid,
yes we have a longer life expectation these days than we did fifty years ago. and yes there are a lot of the elderly being looked after by hospitals because of social care in the community is now practically none existant, because of government cuts in fundings .
but the real problem is the amount of legal and illegal immigration into this country and the national health service together with schools social services of any kind in this country are swamped by dealing with the one overriding fact that we have possibly about five million immigrants in this country trying to take our housing our schools our doctors and our social welfare and the politicians are blaming us the elderly because they are scared to tell the truth about how we are suffering to give to the rest of the world. ( you can only guess what would happen if they told the truth )
take for instance the one billion pounds per month going to charity, did you know that a good part of these monies are paid into the European union so they can hand it out as if it came from them.( charity should begin at home )
also one of the main whistle blowers in the national health scandal stated once again today that health tourism is costing this country one and a half billion pounds a year, and not the five hundred thousand stated by the left wing liberal elite, whom had the audacity to state this morning that and I quote ( its not a billion and a half its only five hundred million and that's a drop in the ocean ) according to the news on the left wing bbc news
so you see it is the left wing liberal elite that are in power in every organisation from government quangos to the heart of the bbc, and them people whom are responsible for the attitude of feed the world and then starve us mentality

[Rodney Mills]

I posted this on another thread, but it should be of interest on this thread too.

Can you get free medical care under the National Health Service (NHS)?

The answer to this straightforward question is a bit complicated: Maybe. But probably not.
Residents of the UK and certain others, defined by complicated rules, have free access to all medical services delivered by the NHS. If you're a short term visitor, from outside the EU, just in the UK on vacation, you may have access to some of these services too. But rules put in place to prevent health tourism - arriving in the UK for free medical treatment -- mean you'll still need travel health insurance and will usually have to pay for most medical and dental services.

Emergency treatment is free
If you have an accident or need emergency medical treatment, you will receive that treatment free of charge, regardless of your nationality or place of residence as long as that emergency treatment is delivered at:
a primary care facility or General Practitioner's office, known as a GP's Surgery
a hospital emergency room, called Accident and Emergency (A&E) or Casualty in UK hospitals.
A walk-in center providing services similar to an emergency room.
That service only extends to the immediate emergency. Once you are admitted to a hospital - even for emergency surgery or further emergency treatment - you have to pay for your treatment and medicines. If you are asked to return for a clinic visit to follow up your emergency treatment, you will also have to pay for that. And if the doctor prescribes medication, you'll have to pay the full retail price rather than the subsidized price paid by UK residents. And, if you run up charges of £1,000/$1,600 (approx.) and you or your insurance company fail to pay within the specified time, you could be denied a visa in the future.

Other services that are free to all
Visitors also have free access to:
treatment for some infectious diseases
urgent advice for non-life threatening illness over the NHS non-emergency medical advice helpline 111.
compulsory psychiatric treatment
family planning services.
HIV testing and temporary treatment, including ARVs, on an emergency basis, while in the UK.

Are the rules the same for all visitors?
No. Some visitors to the UK have more access to the NHS than others:
Visitors from EU countries and other members of what is called the European Economic Area are subject to somewhat more access to the National Health Service.
Visitors from countries which have a bilateral agreement with the UK may also have access to more services.
People working in certain kinds of occupations - such NATO employees and some voluntary workers - may also have free access to the NHS.

Are the rules the same for all visitors?
No. Some visitors to the UK have more access to the NHS than others:
Visitors from EU countries and other members of what is called the European Economic Area are subject to somewhat more access to the National Health Service.
Visitors from countries which have a bilateral agreement with the UK may also have access to more services.
People working in certain kinds of occupations - such NATO employees and some voluntary workers - may also have free access to the NHS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

They will all have DUAL PASSPORTS,
That is another racket that should be abolished
How can you be a citizen of more than One Country? they should make up their minds then get out of the other one. It should be stopped.
It can be abused.
Brian

Hi Brian.
I have been against duel citizenship for years, if the person can't accept just the one then they shouldn't be given a passport
This has stood out in America when Trump stopped all the Ms coming in everyone had duel passports.
Cheers des