Passport for delivering baby in hospital ?

[Londoni]

If a spouse was an overstayer by at least 1 year and was expecting, would the hospital demand identification in the form of passport whether anytime during the duration of the pregnancy or if taken to hospital while in labour ?

and i assume if the passport was not to their expectations treatment would be refused and authorities informed ?

[bebe2]

are you registered with any hospital at the moment? are you recieving ante-natal care. if you are already registered then you will not be asked for anything else in hospital.

[tasha75]

There was a student couple on another forum, who after giving birth received a letter from hospital asking for passports. After they showed the passports they were sent a bill of 2000 pounds. The couple were advised by forum members that they qualify for free treatment/labour with proofs from somewhere on internet (some medical site), but I don't know how it all ended, whether they paid or not.

[Christophe]

I think that labour in progress (or imminent) would generally be treated as a medical emergency, and the necessarily medical management would be given. However, if not eligible for free treatment the patient (that is, the mother) might be billed, and debt collection could be enforced if payment was not forthcoming.

[Frontier Mole]

Billing for hospital service is happening more and more. It is now a common practice among many hospitals. Labour or imminent child birth is NOT a medical emergency procedure UNLESS the mother or the child is at risk through complications. In general the risk must be serious enough to warrant medical intervention beyond that of a home delivery with a midwife present.

£2000 for the delivery of a child in a birthing suite would be a reasonable cost. I imagine this would be a fairly straight forward natural delivery without complications.

NHS hospitals now have or will have in the near future liaison points with UKBA. This works to the advantage of both organisations. The NHS has a reasonable chance of identifying individuals not eligible for non emergency treatment and UKBA gets a fix on an illegal or an overstayer. Emergency treatment costs for non eligible individuals is still being recovered by the NHS. Non-emergency treatment can and is being refused.

GP's are now becoming more searching as well. My local health centre demands proof of entitlement before it will register new patients.

I recently dealt with a case where the cost of mental health treatment was being recovered, an amount in excess of £10,000. The individual was in no position to pay and his sponsors were being put in the frame. They deliberately brought him over on a false pretence and entered him into treatment in the UK. Sponsor can pay but is less than happy about removal of said individual back to country of origin. Art 8 did not hold water, neither did Art 3 on risk on return. The case of N is very strong when considering medical issues.

[jei2]

£2000 for the delivery of a child in a birthing suite would be a reasonable cost. I imagine this would be a fairly straight forward natural delivery without complications.

And a very effective method of birth control!

[Frontier Mole]

Disagree - £2000 is nothing - it is the other £100,000 in running costs the brat with cost you before you get rid of them!

More, if like my daughter she wants 7 years at uni to become a vet and has the expectation of an endless money pit for her horse riding!!!

£2000 - more like £200,000 NOW that is an excellent contraceptive......

[jei2]

Disagree - £2000 is nothing - it is the other £100,000 in running costs the brat with cost you before you get rid of them!

More, if like my daughter she wants 7 years at uni to become a vet and has the expectation of an endless money pit for her horse riding!!!

£2000 - more like £200,000 NOW that is an excellent contraceptive......

Just stop it! bloody kids.. who'd have 'em?