The immigration health surcharge, which costs £624 per year (Rs. 67 thousand), is likely to be raised to £12,000 (Rs. 1.29 lakh) a year even as people are struggling to deal with a severe cost-of-living crisis
Immigrant workers may be forced to pay “at least double” of what they pay now to use the services of Britain’s NHS (National Health Service), reported nationalheraldindia.com.
The immigration health surcharge, which costs £624 per year (Rs. 67 thousand), is likely to be raised to £12,000 (Rs. 1.29 lakh) a year even as people are struggling to deal with a severe cost-of-living crisis.
‘The plans, which are expected to be submitted to the Treasury in the coming weeks, are a way of raising hundreds of millions of pounds of extra revenue for the NHS at a time when its capacity and finances are increasingly under strain,’ The Times reported, hinting that the surcharge could be raised further for older immigrants, who are likelier to use the health service than younger workers.
The surcharge, first introduced in 2015, requires migrant workers and their families to make an extra contribution to the NHS in order to avail of its services. This charge applies to most foreign nationals who come to work, study or stay with family in the UK for six months or more.
“Tackling racism in the workplace is key to recruiting and retaining psychiatrists and other health practitioners. It is a stain on the NHS. It damages mental health. It destroys lives: the lives of patients and colleagues. The NHS has a moral, ethical and legal duty to do much more to stamp out racism in all its forms.”
— Dr Adrian James, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Meanwhile, there are reports that the National Health Service which is run effectively by migrants, especially Indian and other Asian doctors and nurses, is apparently rife with racism leading to a debilitating brain drain. A “stain on the NHS that is destroying the lives of staff and patients” is how the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Adrian James, has described it. “We see its pernicious effects on colleagues who are leaving in droves. It can be seen in unfair pay gaps, the disparities in disciplinary processes and the glass ceiling that stops doctors from minorities and other ethnic backgrounds securing management positions,” he said at an international conference in Liverpool.
Tackling racism in the workplace, James said, was key to recruiting and retaining psychiatrists and other health practitioners. “It is a stain on the NHS. It damages mental health. It destroys lives: the lives of patients and colleagues. The NHS has a moral, ethical and legal duty to do much more to stamp out racism in all its forms,” he said.
His warning comes close on the heels of a report by the NHS Race and Health Observatory highlighting disparities in health and social care based on race.
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