Letters November 4: NHS charge to foreigners a good idea – if staffed properly

THE new proposal by the Government to help NHS funding by charging non-EU visitors for any treatment they may receive while visiting this country sounds very logical indeed and should be applauded.

However, like so many policies from government that flounder after introduction, it needs to be thought out properly and additional personnel put in place to make it happen.

We already lose billions by not re-charging fellow EU countries for treatment of their population who either frequent or work on our shores, yet those same countries readily charge our Government without fail and it is a substantial amount too.

Yes, I know that the NHS is supposed to follow procedure and log claims but with a shortage of staff and sheer volume of work this is seldom done.

Frankly I would like to see factual figures to confirm just how little we actually do re-charge the EU – hardly anything at all, I would wager, compared to what we pay out.

However, none of these initiatives will ever show profit while the Government continually reduces staffing levels – let’s face it, we have seen this with the customs and borders staff who, thanks to budget cuts, cannot perform their duties properly, resulting in the debacle of illegal immigrants absconding without trace while undesirables and criminals are entering our country unchecked.

That’s not to mention the police, who are becoming more and more depleted in numbers, thus inviting criminals to have a field day here.

Is it any wonder that millions of migrants are desperate to get here when our immigration checks are so slack and our expensive medical care seems freely on offer to all and sundry?

From: John Fisher, Menwith Hill.

WE continue to sell the family silver to all-comers whilst Germany refuses to do so and puts national interest before short term financial gains.

So the answer to all this country’s problems is simply to pull out of the EU, and at a stroke, all that lost family silver would be given back and we would be able to make lots of sensible decisions.

With our astute politicians and brilliant civil servants at 
the helm the good ship Great Britain would be steaming at full speed to a new and exciting destination – a land called 
China.

We could be watching the biggest Chinese take-away in the history of our once great Britain.