News

The shadow health secretary yesterday reiterated the Conservatives' plans for compulsory health screening for people coming to stay in Britain as he outlined the party's health proposals at their conference in Blackpool, writes Clare Jerrom.

Liam Fox said that the National Health Service should not be allowed to become “the international health honey-pot”, and pledged that a future conservative government would ensure that this would not be the case.

“We are perfectly willing to give care to those who need it, and are genuinely entitled to come to this country”, said Fox “that is our moral duty”.

“But we also have a duty to ensure that our own citizens who have paid for these services get the priority they deserve” he added.

Fox claims that there are higher rates of tuberculosis in Brent, north London than Azerbaijan and higher rates in Newham, east London than Uzbekistan and said “it cannot be allowed to continue”.

The Tories would base a new public health law on the model adopted in Australia to ensure that those people coming to reside in Britain would satisfy three tests.

The Conservatives would also introduce health entitlement cards to prevent “health tourists” using the NHS free of charge.

Fox said that the party would introduce a public health commissioner and outlined plans for “patient passports”.  This would enable patients to undergo operations anywhere inside the NHS entirely free, and if the patient chose to have treatment outside the NHS they would be given 60 per cent off the standard NHS price for the operation to go towards their treatment.

The Tories would also establish an independent NHS Board to allocate funding within the NHS in a “fair and transparent” way. They intend to take some powers away from the Department of Health, and reduce the power politicians have in the day-to-day running of the NHS.