NHS madness - health tourist's £145k bill not chased

[Osem]

A London hospital has said it will not pursue a Nigerian woman who owes it £145,000 for the cost of giving birth there after she travelled to Britain

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/heal...-of-quins.html

A NHS hospital failed to chase up a bill of £145,000 it should have charged a Nigerian woman who had quintuplets after travelling to Britain.

Bimbo Ayelabola, 37, underwent a complex caesarean section in 2011 but did not pay any of the cost of the operation and neo-natal care for her five babies.

But it has now emerged that Homerton University Hospital, in east London, will not pursue her for the outstanding bill.

The hospital involved has admitted it sent only one request for payment, more than six months after Miss Ayelabola left the hospital – and had failed to take any further action when it was returned unpaid.

Miss Ayelabola has since returned to her home city of Lagos, where she is a successful make-up artist.

She said: “I have never received my bill. If I had it, I would pay it.”

Well why bother wasting money on an airmail stamp, fax or email when there's only £145k at stake? There was I thinking that the NHS was strapped for cash.

Homerton Hospital said it would not be contacting Miss Ayelabola for the payment, despite her assertion that she would pay up if she received a bill.

A spokesman said: “If she wishes to contact us, we would urge her to do so…. But we will not be contacting her.”

Well maybe if a tad more than the 16% of costs incurred in treating heath tourists were ever chased and recovered, things might be a bit better. It'd be a good start surely and might just put budding health tourists off. I dare say the handling of this incident has served only to make the NHS and even bigger target for them. Great eh! Well done Homerton Hospital! I hope they'll be explaining their decision not to take her up on her offer to all those patients who're struggling to get the treatment they desperately need and are actually entitled to.

[Taf]

It's not a lone case either I suspect.

But in this case it could be classed as an emergency, in which case there are usually no charges.

The real problem I see is that she was illegally in the UK for quite a long time.

[ianch99]

"Bimbo Ayelabola" you couldn't make it up, could you?

I see your £145,000 and raise you £200,000!

The Nigerian whose five babies on the NHS cost us £200,000 is married to a tycoon

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Taf

It's not a lone case either I suspect.

But in this case it could be classed as an emergency, in which case there are usually no charges.

The real problem I see is that she was illegally in the UK for quite a long time.

She's clearly in a not very exclusive club when it comes to immigration status. What I don't get is they sent her a bill but didn't follow it up and still won't follow it up even though she says she'd pay it. I really do think it's incumbent on them to do what they reasonably can to get this bill paid and they're clearly not bothering. I doubt very much the woman would honour her word but the hospital has, on the basis of what I've read, acted entirely irresponsibly and aren't even apologetic for that. It ought to beggar belief but doesn't.

[figgyburn]

Absoutely agree.Why can't jeremy hunt who is in charge of the nhs phone the hospital ceo and order him to pursue the bill.As osem say's i think the woman is lying when she says she will pay the bill but we will not know unless they pursue her.Good old britain=treasure island.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

this what makes my blood boil. We have people coming from abroad - and by law we have to treat them.

And yet the Brtitsh government allows this to happen. It makes me sick, to the stomach.
We have to draw the line.

I always remember when l was in hospital, There was a family in the next bed to me, they could not speak English, and insited on PRIVATE TREATMENT, as they did not want to be in the same ward as us.

They were told it would cost £3.000 for the treatement for the night. They accepted this, and within 30 minutes they were gone.

If people want treatement - they MUST pay up front. If not then they get the same treatment as us.

IF, they have treatment, they must not be allowed to leave the country until this bill was paid.

I understand that everything is now linked - National Insurance, Tax and various other things. I may be wrong.

EVERYONE FROM OVERSEAS knows that we have FREE medical care in Britain

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

this what makes my blood boil. We have people coming from abroad - and by law we have to treat them.

And yet the Brtitsh government allows this to happen. It makes me sick, to the stomach.
We have to draw the line.

I always remember when l was in hospital, There was a family in the next bed to me, they could not speak English, and insited on PRIVATE TREATMENT, as they did not want to be in the same ward as us.

They were told it would cost £3.000 for the treatement for the night. They accepted this, and within 30 minutes they were gone.

If people want treatement - they MUST pay up front. If not then they get the same treatment as us.

IF, they have treatment, they must not be allowed to leave the country until this bill was paid.

I understand that everything is now linked - National Insurance, Tax and various other things. I may be wrong.

EVERYONE FROM OVERSEAS knows that we have FREE medical care in Britain

I agree with you they should pay up front

[Taf]

Credit card on arrival. Automatic billing on discharge. As in France, and no doubt elsewhere. After an I.D. check that is more than just cursary.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

this what makes my blood boil. We have people coming from abroad - and by law we have to treat them.

And yet the Brtitsh government allows this to happen. It makes me sick, to the stomach.
We have to draw the line.

I always remember when l was in hospital, There was a family in the next bed to me, they could not speak English, and insited on PRIVATE TREATMENT, as they did not want to be in the same ward as us.

They were told it would cost £3.000 for the treatement for the night. They accepted this, and within 30 minutes they were gone.

If people want treatement - they MUST pay up front. If not then they get the same treatment as us.

IF, they have treatment, they must not be allowed to leave the country until this bill was paid.

I understand that everything is now linked - National Insurance, Tax and various other things. I may be wrong.

EVERYONE FROM OVERSEAS knows that we have FREE medical care in Britain

I think you'll find that Jeremy Hunt is on the case.

This is the hospital's fault, not the Government's. It beggars belief that with the number of bureaucrats in the NHS, not one of them can find the time or be motivated to chase up such a bill.

The answer is to de-centralise the NHS and let the badly managed hospitals fail so that they can be replaced by well run hospitals who are motivated to spend money wisely - treating the patients!!

The black holes in too many hospital budgets are a disgrace, IMHO.

[Osem]

Well I think the continual bleating about cuts, shortages or whatever would have a tad more credibility if they actually got to grips with the huge waste and abuse of the system they preside over. It really is about time those executives overseeing this sort of nonsense were brought to book.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

The Government have a duty, to stop OUR money being abused in such a manner.

Jerwmt Hunt is a total joke, and from what l read in the papers today. MPs are being treated privately in separate area's of hospitals and fast tracked. I believe St Thomas are doing this while normal patients are having to wait hours.

The NHS have to cut the 'pen pushers' and this will save money. To me IF a tourist comes into this country, then to me they have to have INSTANT insurance to cover the costs.

When l went to USA, l had to have Health Insurance before l went.

And didn't USA refuse a English tourist to leave until the bill had been paid, when there Insurance company wouldn't foot the bill.

ITs up to the government to bring something out to stop the abuse of the NHS by tourist who come here for a freebie

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Osem

Well I think the continual bleating about cuts, shortages or whatever would have a tad more credibility if they actually got to grips with the huge waste and abuse of the system they preside over. It really is about time those executives overseeing this sort of nonsense were brought to book.

Agreed. When I accompanied my wife to hospital, we were just waiting around for the whole day when 2 hours should have sufficed, and while we were waiting, we witnessed nurses and ancillary staff dawdling backwards and forwards down corridors and in little huddles discussing their domestic issues. There were porters pushing trollies back and forth (they were empty in both directions) as if they were in a dream.

I was pretty irate about it all at the time. The NHS definitely needs a huge shake up. The fact that the Conservatives have managed to abolish the PCT trusts with scarcely anyone noticing says it all.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

And didn't USA refuse a English tourist to leave until the bill had been paid, when there Insurance company wouldn't foot the bill.

No. They didn't, they don't and they cannot. This is the 21st century, people don't go to jail in either the USA or here for not paying private debts.

Do you seriously think a private hospital in the USA could take a British citizen's passport away for not paying a medical bill? Really?

Whether you like it or not neither we or they have any right to imprison people for not paying medical bills. We have laws, some of which are built on implementing international laws, and taking away people's passports and detaining them for not paying bills is well out of order as far as said rule of law goes.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Ignitionnet. Did l say they took there passport away - NO. What l said was they refused to allow the patient leave until the bill was paid.

I believe the family in Yorkshire eventually paid the bill and they were allowed to leave. And in America, they have TWO types of Hospital. One where you go if Insured, and the other is a hospital where you don't.

Why is members of this forum take everything to the extreme. IF, you go to another country, you must have Insurance to cover medical bills. Why should l as a taxpayer FUND free treatment for people that comes from abroad - whether on Hols or other reason and then disappear without paying and the NHS don't even bother chasing the debt.

FIVE months ago, my wife nearly died after falling down the stairs, and my GP said that her heart had stopped, she has been waiting since then for a special scan to see if she has done internal damage done and is in constant

In fact, its taken that long that she has an appointment for ECG tomorrow - FIVE months after the accident

Ao things like this make me sick to the stomach, where the NHS waste so much money - and this is a prime example.

IF the NHS chased the money that they are owed, we could put more great Drs and Nurses on our wards - and they would NOT have to pay for parking there vehicles at Hospitals

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Ignitionnet. Did l say they took there passport away - NO. What l said was they refused to allow the patient leave until the bill was paid.

I believe the family in Yorkshire eventually paid the bill and they were allowed to leave. And in America, they have TWO types of Hospital. One where you go if Insured, and the other is a hospital where you don't.

Why is members of this forum take everything to the extreme. IF, you go to another country, you must have Insurance to cover medical bills. Why should l as a taxpayer FUND free treatment for people that comes from abroad - whether on Hols or other reason and then disappear without paying and the NHS don't even bother chasing the debt.

FIVE months ago, my wife nearly died after falling down the stairs, and my GP said that her heart had stopped, she has been waiting since then for a special scan to see if she has done internal damage done and is in constant

In fact, its taken that long that she has an appointment for ECG tomorrow - FIVE months after the accident

Ao things like this make me sick to the stomach, where the NHS waste so much money - and this is a prime example.

IF the NHS chased the money that they are owed, we could put more great Drs and Nurses on our wards - and they would NOT have to pay for parking there vehicles at Hospitals

How did they stop them leaving then?