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Medical Justice for Asylum Seekers
Published by Frank Arnold on Dec 09, 2007
The undersigned are all doctors licensed to practice in the UK. Many of us are GPs.
We are disturbed by previous government decisions which have removed the right to most forms of hospital care from refused asylum seekers and visitors to the UK.
We are appalled by government plans to further restrict the rights of such people to primary care. This would impose serious health risks on them and on the general public. It would also interfere with our ability to carry out our duties as doctors.
It is not in keeping with the ethics of our profession to refuse to see any person who may be ill, particularly pregnant women with complications, sick children or men crippled by torture. No one would want such a doctor for their GP.
We call on the government to retreat from this foolish proposal, which would prevent doctors from investigating, prescribing for, or referring such patients on the NHS.
We pledge that, in the event this regulation comes into effect, we will:
a) Continue to see and examine asylum seekers and to advise them about their health needs, whatever their immigration status.
b) Document their diagnoses and required clinical care.
c) (With suitable anonymisation and consent) copy this documentation to the responsible ministers, MPs and the press.
d) Inform the public of the human costs, to harness popular disgust at what is being ordered by the government in their name.
e) Campaign to speedily reverse these ill-advised policies.
We are disturbed by previous government decisions which have removed the right to most forms of hospital care from refused asylum seekers and visitors to the UK.
We are appalled by government plans to further restrict the rights of such people to primary care. This would impose serious health risks on them and on the general public. It would also interfere with our ability to carry out our duties as doctors.
It is not in keeping with the ethics of our profession to refuse to see any person who may be ill, particularly pregnant women with complications, sick children or men crippled by torture. No one would want such a doctor for their GP.
We call on the government to retreat from this foolish proposal, which would prevent doctors from investigating, prescribing for, or referring such patients on the NHS.
We pledge that, in the event this regulation comes into effect, we will:
a) Continue to see and examine asylum seekers and to advise them about their health needs, whatever their immigration status.
b) Document their diagnoses and required clinical care.
c) (With suitable anonymisation and consent) copy this documentation to the responsible ministers, MPs and the press.
d) Inform the public of the human costs, to harness popular disgust at what is being ordered by the government in their name.
e) Campaign to speedily reverse these ill-advised policies.
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