Health tourists cost the NHS £62m a year
Jump to full article: The Mail (uk), 2007-09-03
Author: DANIEL MARTIN
Intro: The Health Service could be "overwhelmed" by cancer sufferers from Eastern Europe, a leading doctor has warned.
There are almost twice as many smokers in Poland and neighbouring countries than the UK, which means they have far higher rates of lung and other cancers.
It comes as a new documents showd the bill for treating health 'tourists' amounts to at least £62 million a year.
It says NHS trusts are ignoring guidelines aimed at preventing foreign patients abusing the NHS, a document said.
. . .
Recent data suggests up to half of all Polish men smoke. Lung cancer kills more men in Eastern Europe than any other form of the disease. In the UK, on the other hand, more men die of prostate cancer.
The NHS's Cancer Plan is based on needs identified in 2000.
Dr Collingridge said it may have to be drastically rewritten to take into account the different needs of Eastern European patients.
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