Deported woman who needs dialysis

[Urchin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7189137.stm

A medical journal has described the decision to remove a terminally-ill Ghanaian woman from the UK whose visa had expired as "atrocious barbarism".

Ms Sumani, a 39-year-old widow and mother-of-two, had been receiving dialysis at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff for more than a year after cancer damaged her kidneys.

She came to the UK five years ago to become a student but began working in contravention of her of visa regulations. Her visa has since expired.

She developed malignant myeloma, a cancer affecting the bone marrow, while living in Cardiff.

She was taken from the hospital by immigration officers on 9 January and was accompanied to Accra, Ghana's capital.
Since then Ms Sumani has been trying to get onto a dialysis machine but without success.

She said the main hospital in Accra had asked for the equivalent of about $6,000 (£3,060) to cover her kidney dialysis sessions for the next three months.

A spokesman for the Border and Immigration Agency said: ""We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we assess fitness to travel and whether the necessary medical treatment is available in the country to which we are returning.

"The UK cannot offer healthcare to individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK solely because they would not be able to access a similar standard of treatment in their country of origin - this has been upheld in law."

What do you guys think?

 

[jenna]

theres loads of people in other countries that need medical help, it must be really hard to know she wont get the same treatment in other countries but if they let every one with medical issues stay to have treatment there wouldnt be any point having immigration laws

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

I personally think that she should have thought about that before letting her visa expire.

It must be awful for her to have to leave a country where shes getting free medical treatment, to her home country where its not free, but at the end of the day I think the last statement is correct...

"The UK cannot offer healthcare to individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK solely because they would not be able to access a similar standard of treatment in their country of origin - this has been upheld in law."

 

[trixipaws]

it might not be right or fair but i voted let her stay, coz i cant help empathiseing if that was my mother...

 

[Urchin]

Personally I think she should have had more respect for our system than to work when she's not allowed and then let her visa expire, then maybe she wouldn't be in this position now.

 

[mummykay]

i agree with urchin

 

[Becs]

She was foolish and ignorant but I can't agree with sending her away to die. I voted to keep her here. My husband and I have a charity that supports Kenyan school children so we see every day how different life is here and how we take it for granted in this country. I can't honestly say I wouldn't have behaved the way she did if I had been dealt her hand in life.

Having said all of that I guess we cannot afford to just open the gates for all to come and have free treatment so they obviously had to make an example of her. I guess I just hate how unfair the world is.

 

[leckershell]

theres loads of people in other countries that need medical help

...and ours too.

I think the UK has already got a reputation for being a place to come for handouts, so any proof that they are making things stricter, to me, is welcome. While I agree with whoever said they would feel bad if she was their mother, I can't accept footing the bill for the worlds plights.

There are many people ill, here and abroad, and I for one would much rather be paying the NHS to be seeing to the real UK citizens, not foreign nationals who have flaunted the rights of their Visas.

 

[tuck]

I vote deport, she obviously had no intention of returning to her homeland and getting a visa to say she is a student was the easy way in. personally I think that the UK are way way to soft on the immigration laws and she was an illegal immigrant. If she had done things correctly then maybe I'd re-think.

 

[kazlin]

I voted let her stay...for the sake of her children.

 

[Squiglet]

In all honesty being an immigrant.. working here, paying taxes in a country that is not my country of origin.. I feel its my right to be able to claim medical help when I need it.

Although Spain is an EU country it has it's issues where residency and documentation required in order to live here, work here, pay taxes, receive benefits and access the health care system, and being an EU citizen doesn't always mean you have it easy.

You can come here with your E111 cards or your E106, but if you don't start working within 2 years, that becomes invalid and you HAVE to pay for any medical treatment. I think that's totally fair tbh... but there are some people (in their 50's) who come to Spain, with an E111 or E106. They are not state pensioners yet but have taken early retirement but cannot apply for the E121 which can give them free health care indefinitely... these people get cancer and they find out that they are not eligible for health care here in Spain... and the Spanish hospitals just won't even entertain them. Subsequently they go back to the UK but because they have been registered living outside the UK for more than 2 years they are no longer eligible for health care in the UK either... its a real EU black hole.

I don't think it really matters if this womans visa has run out.. yes she should have reapplied, but it happens that things get on top of us and we forget... but if she can prove that she has been paying into the UK tax system through working... Doesn't it give her the right to health care?

If she had come here on a student visa, and was sponging off the state, never worked a day, then got ill then I'd say deport her... part of being a decent immigrant is working to support the country in which you live.

The UK should set up less strict working visa's but make it impossible for these people to claim benefits for at least a year for example (I had to be working 3 years before I could claim benefits and I'm an EU resident )... It means that people can go to the UK but they HAVE to work to survive... which helps the economy.

 

[leckershell]

I don't think it really matters if this womans visa has run out.. yes she should have reapplied, but it happens that things get on top of us and we forget...

I usually agree with you squig, but *forgetting* to reapply for a visa that keeps you in the country?

 

[Squiglet]

I don't think it really matters if this womans visa has run out.. yes she should have reapplied, but it happens that things get on top of us and we forget...

I usually agree with you squig, but *forgetting* to reapply for a visa that keeps you in the country?

I can't really comment on that... It took me AGES to apply for my residencia when I moved here Like two years.... And I erm... *cough* still haven't sorted out my driving licence... But anyone who has had to go to the "Trafico" office will understand my hesitancy.

 

[leckershell]

Sorry, I wasn't dissing you Oops I feel bad now for assuming..

 

[Squiglet]

Sorry, I wasn't dissing you Oops I feel bad now for assuming..

No...don't worry I know you weren't ... I was just pointing out that I couldn't really say anything about people not renewing paper work and "forgetting" because... I'd be a bit of a hypocrite

 

[charlie84]

I think the UK has already got a reputation for being a place to come for handouts, so any proof that they are making things stricter, to me, is welcome. While I agree with whoever said they would feel bad if she was their mother, I can't accept footing the bill for the worlds plights.

There are many people ill, here and abroad, and I for one would much rather be paying the NHS to be seeing to the real UK citizens, not foreign nationals who have flaunted the rights of their Visas.

I have to agree with leckershell on this one. The NHS is in such a mess as it is, without the added pressure of illegal immigrants flaunting the system.

 

[paradysso]

ive voted to deport her too. ive had enough of nhs waiting lists and it doesnt help if the nhs are helping immigrants too.

 

[Minime]

At least she had done some work whilst resident here, more than what I can say for some British people.

 

[libs]

I've got to be honest...I couldn't answer - thats why I'm glad I don't have to make these decisions. I'm no easy touch and after the day I've had all I want to do is applaud Minime's last post but I also couldn't make the decision to just stop all treatment.


This is why I'm a training officer not an immigration officer or politician

 

[Urchin]

My OH is also an immigrant (South African) we wouldn't dream of letting his visa run out!
For a start by working when she was on a student vise, she was probably working cash in hand as she wouldn't have a national insurance number would she? She knew the student visa meant that she shouldn't work, yet she did. So she broke the rules on her visa, THEN she let it run out.
Sorry but that doesn't show respect for our rules.