UK reviews health tourism laws after Nigerian woman racked up £500k debt

Foreign patients with non-urgent medical needs will be made to pay before treatment under new regulations for health tourists in the United Kingdom.

The adjustment is coming after a Nigerian, identified as Priscilla, gave birth to quadruplets at a UK hospital.

The birth of Priscilla’s children cost the National Health Service (NHS) £500,000 as she couldn’t foot the bill.

Two of the babies have since died and the other two are still being cared for at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in West London.

Their mother says she will not be able to repay even a fraction of her bill.

Beginning in April, hospitals will be legally empowered to charge patients upfront for procedures which are not deemed immediate emergencies.

Some of the non-urgent procedures include hip or knee surgery, cataract removals, and operations to remove hernias as well as certain scans and medications.

The rules will not apply to maternity care or any treatment considered potentially life-saving or immediately necessary but ministers are hoping it will help stop the NHS from being seen as an “international health service.”

Other procedures that will require pay before care are scans, treatment for cancer or heart conditions as well as operations to remove the appendix.

If patients are unable to pay, doctors will be told to make a decision, based on their clinical need, as to whether the treatment should go ahead.

Hospitals are now required to ask all new patients for passports and utility bills upon arrival to verify they are entitled to NHS care.

Hospitals who fail to show that they are collecting enough money from patients may be fined by year’s end.