Government proposes to end free health care for ‘failed asylum seekers’

[摘要] We wish to warn GPs about the current proposals to make ‘failed asylum seekers’ ineligible for free primary care. The government defines a failed asylum seeker as a person whose asylum application has been refused and who is deemed to have exhausted all available channels for appeal. However, those who are unsuccessful at appeal are not necessarily here illegally. For example, they may be awaiting an outcome of a further legal challenge or cannot return to their country of origin due to the human rights situation there.1,2 They include those who have yet to be returned. Often ‘failed asylum seekers’ have simply been unable to prove that they would suffer persecution if returned.3 The Cambridge Institute of Criminology has described the culture at the home office as ‘a culture of disbelief’4 and organisations such as the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and Amnesty International have criticised the poor quality of initial asylum decisions.5

[学科分类] 卫生学