Overseas healthcare bill revealed

Healthcare totalling £314,000 has been charged to foreign patients using hospital services in east Kent so far this financial year.

The trust has already recouped two thirds of the money, making it one of the best performing trusts in the UK for settling of bills.

Figures for east Kent emerged as it was revealed health tourism costs the UK an estimated £200 million to £2 billion per year, with Britain one of the worst countries for reclaiming money.

Healthcare totalling £314,000 has been charged to foreign patients using hospital services in east Kent.

But the east Kent hospitals trust received payments of £200,237 out of £314,262.41 outstanding as of January 31 – ranking it seventh in the UK for recovery.

Spokesman Steve James said: “All NHS trusts in England have a legal obligation to check whether patients are eligible for free non-emergency NHS treatment and to try to recover any costs from non-eligible overseas patients.

“Our total trust budget for the year is £587 million, but as one of the top performing trusts for recovering money, we always pursue outstanding payments.”

The trust says a single piece of surgery accounts for a quarter of this year’s total treatment bill.

Mr James said: “Overseas invoices take longer to pay than UK invoices, because in many cases the patient has to recover the money from their insurance company. Many invoices are paid in monthly instalments where no insurance is in place.”

Earlier this month, the Commons public accounts committee accused successive governments of failing to do enough to recover health debts.