H in arms about government plans ealth workers are increasingly up
to deny asylum seekers medical care. Health Minister John Hutton had announced on December 30 last year that free hospital care would be denied to "failed" asylum seekers.
At least one hospital trust is now asking GPs to help identify such people in clinical referral letters, thus asking doctors both to breach patient confidentiality to act as immigration officers.
Subsequently the government started consultation on whether the same group should be denied access to primary care treatment.
In response, the Medical Practitioners Union (MPU) part of Amicus, has launched a campaign and a petition.
In a well argued statement they point out that: "The human rights of asylum seekers are being stripped away, to the point that they have almost no rights at all. The consequences for their physical and psychological well-being are profound..." and go on to debunk many of the popular myths about asylum seekers by giving hard information about the reality of the lives of those who flee torture, persecution and poverty.
The campaign goes beyond what may be narrowly defined as professional issues in calling for the scrapping of the notorious Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, which denies all benefits to asylum seekers who fail to register within three days of arrival in the UK.
An article by MPU president and London GP, Dr Ron Singer, in the Lancet of June 5, tors: •.. argues: "No one can distinguish the illegal immigrant or failed asylum seeker except by making assumptions about, or asking leading questions of, all foreign-sounding or foreignlooking people."
It continues: "Doctors have a clear duty to disregard non-clinical factors about a patient until their immediate medical needs are met. But hospital doctors have two new priorities - first to decide if a patient can be categorised as an emergency and therefore eligible for NHS treatment; and second, if not an emergency, whether the patient is entitled to have their clinical need met under NHS regulations."
Dr Singer writes: "This is unethical and inefficient. Health workers should not routinely be put in the position of mixing clinical imperatives with legal enforcement." He adds that refusing to treat people before they become emergency cases is "a false economy since the cost of eventual emergency treatment is likely to be greater".
In the meantime the British Medical Association has marked Refugee week with a call for the skills of refugee doctors to be put to use for the benefit of the NHS. Nearly a thousand (955) have registered on the BMA's database of refugee doctors, yet only 57 report that they are practising.
Although the BMA estimates that the actual numbers who have found work is higher than this, it is unlikely to be more than 150 (16 per cent of the total number on the database).
Dr Edwin Borman, chairman of the BMA's International Committee, says that the NHS would benefit hugely if more support and training were made available to refugee docAN UNTIE CERN TARYS
"The skills of medically qualified refugees are badly needed and it's ironic that so many are unable to work. It costs £250,000 to train a British medical student to become a doctor, but as little as £10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise. From August the European Working Time Directive will impose new limits on junior doctors' hours, making it even more important that the NHS makes the best use of refugee doctors."
The MPU petition and further information about the campaign can be found at be found at mpunion.thewebtailor.co.uk/ or by contacting Carol English, National Secretary Medical Practitioners' Union, AMICUS, 40 Bermondsey Street, London SEI 3UD [email protected]. ........... second to Labour in Newham.
STOP THE WAR Liam Mac Uaid reports on Respect's stag gering results in East London
Respect activists in the City and East London were dumbounded by
their election results. Our candidate, Oliur Rahman won 15 per cent of the vote with 19,675 votes. What this conceals is that he came first in Tower Hamlets and
RAQ East end school students set the scene for a strong campaign their mosque. The East London campaign also avoided making the predictions of certain victory that were often heard at Respect events. We knew we would save our deposit but we never made a bolder claim than that
Now Respect in East London is starting to grapple with some of the problems caused by success
Several individuals from the Labour Party have asked about joining. Having been absent from the anti-war movement, been silent on PFl and (in some cases) been associ ated with financial improprieties they may have a long wait before their requests are accepted.
Some individuals think they are so important that they have to meet with George Galloway personally before deigning to lend their name to Respect.
This demonstrates two important points. One is that some councillors and MPs now know that Respect is a serious electoral force in their area.
The other is that we must have safeguards to ensure that bandwagon jumpers and opportunists are kept out. In particular coun cillors or former councillors who have a record of shady financial dealings cannot be admitted under any circumstances.
The council by-election on July 29 obliges us to keep the campaign rolling. It is winnable. However when that is out of the way Respect in East London will launch campaigns on the themes of affordable housing and youth services. It will also start develop ing policies across the spectrum.