At ex pat neighbour and NHS use

[woolythoughts]

Neighbour emigrated to Thailand about 30 years ago. We kept in touch with him over the years. Whilst his mother was still alive, they came back twice a year and made sure that they did opticians and various other routine things whilst here.

He now rents his mothers old house out to tenants.

He’s now been diagnosed with cancer and is currently making travel arrangements to return to the UK, evict his tenants and get cancer treatment on the NHS as decent treatment is too expensive for him to pay for where he is.

He’s paid nothing into the country for the last 30 years so how can it be right he’s able to do this?

And before anyone asks, yes I am 100% sure of my facts.

• I must add it was only an ear infection, so no long term treatment.

If he has moved overseas permanently then he is not entitled to free NHS care. However, as a British citizen, he is able to decide to move back to the UK permanently whenever he pleases. Strictly speaking, if he does so for health reasons, he isn't entitled to free NHS care. However, if he comes back permanently for any other reason (who wouldn't want to be "home" and close to family if you are sick?) then he is entitled. Realistically if he has a British passport and has an address in the UK then there isn't a hospital in the country that will try to charge him.

Because he's getting something without contributing anything to it! If everyone did this there'd be no funds at all for the NHS.

if we were refusing access to the NHS to any national who doesn't contribute anything, the waiting lists would be a hell of lot shorter

Carpet, I was living in a very rural area, and I still do projects there even though I’m living here now. But when I do go to Vietnam, people think it’s like going on holiday. The “four-star hotel“ in our area does not even have a working coffee machine. I don’t know if they finished the pool or not, but I certainly remember it going on and on for years. There was a café The first of its kind in the area that employed people with special needs, and I used to bring them supplies from the neighboring province since foreigners would stop there for lunch and you could not buy diet Coke, cheese, and other things in that province. 😂😂

One other thing, I wouldn’t want to be in hospital worrying about my visa running out either. I have been in that situation once, in Thailand. I was in a very crowded, very hot government hospital, where thank goodness I could speak Thai. It is much cheaper than a private hospital, but if you can’t speak Thai, which many people don’t, then it can be very difficult. Thankfully, I made a friend of someone else’s family while I was in there and he went to get supplies for me, just orange juice and things like that. Because another thing that people don’t realize, in these government hospitals, it’s your family who really takes care of you. In Vietnam, your family does all of the things that nurses do in the UK. Your family are in charge of buying you food etc

You sound like a horrible interfering battelaxe.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.
Whatever has happened to you to be resentful of a cancer patient receiving treatment whatever the circumstances? Shocking.

hellokitty

I understand your username now! You must be thrilled about todays events in Thailand.

Right.... so you have known he has been doing this for years and years.... and decided it was none of your business and kept out of it, all this time.

Now he has cancer and needs affordable treatment, so he doesn’t die. You have decided that it’s now your business!!

And you have been keeping in touch all these years, and he has been telling you stuff thinking your a good friend, unaware of how two faced you are being.

Wow, what an absolute cow!!!

Why are you taking it personally? It's not coming directly out of your pocket and it's not up to you to decide whether or not he's entitled.

It's easy to do this. He never de registered as he used his mum's address.
As far as the nhs is concerned he has an address in Britain and an NHS number.

Kitchen I am! I think they did an amazing job. And those children were so so brave!

Another one who is shocked at your miserly begrudging of life-saving treatment for your neighbour.

You really are a card carrying UKIP member that must spend your mornings twitching the curtains and getting irate that the postman is brown.

If the NHS stopped treating everyone who can't or doesn't contribute 'to the pot' then the waiting times as said above would move at the speed of light.

Get back in your box. Hope your neighbour recovers and you find a new hobby.

It doesn't bother me when you consider how many people in this country don't pay any tax either. No difference IMO.

I don't like expats who abuse the NHS but I do have sympathy with someone facing a life threatening illness trying to get the best possible treatment.

hellokitty Weren't they though!! Such an amazing achievement for the country.

Yabu. Hes got cancer you nasty horrible person.
Anyone would do the same, facing death. You cant say you wouldnt in that situation because you are lucky enough not to know.
You seem very overinvested. It isnt healthy.

Haven't read the thread.

But my view would be that it is because he is a British citizen. It is a VERY slippery slope if you do down the path of only those who pay in deserve to get out.

Your benefit is because you are a citizen.

I'm Australian and if I found out I had a serious illness I would be back there in a flash (because in my view the healthcare system is better there). You have to be resident there for 12 months and then you can access the system.

I have no problem doing that whatsoever. Its my country still.

I agree OP. Its why the system needs a complete overhaul. There just isn’t the money anymore to treat everyone and everything. It may be his birth country but he hasn’t contributed for 30 years. I know someone who lives abroad and returns for dental treatment and contraception. Winds me right up.

OP Life ISN'T fair

Try telling them you are non resident and should pay. I had to fight to pay for DD care in west London after receptionist told me to lie and use a friends address. The overseas billing lady was on leave and they asked us not to make a fuss but we did. Our insurance was later billed 17k. We don't pay we shouldn't get but its almost impossible to pay.

Battleax

Could you talk us through your workings out?

Just check out the UKIP page. I'm sure OP is a fully paid up member!

afaik it is to do with residency at the time the health care is provided.
When you move abroad you don't have rights to healthcare in the UK while resident abroad. But if you move back to the UK you then become resident in the UK, and you are entitled to whatever other residents are entitled to. Whether you are resident or not and where is to do with number of months in a year you spend in the UK. So what happens in between being resident and not and then resident again is irrelevant in terms of health care, though it is relevant in relation to tax if income has not been declared properly. Hope that clarifies it?

oh sorry! I didn't realise there were 5 pages, I am sure someone else has clarified all that for the OP by now!!