No Recourse to Public Fund and NHS Treatment

[Mrs Khan]

I have gone through the forum and couldn't find to the point answer therefore i am putting this down here for the moderators and experts to comment on it.

I understand that HSMP visa holders are not entitled to receive / claim any benefits in UK but curious to find out whether HSMP holder is entitled to receive NHS treatment. By NHS treatment i am refering to an expensive treatment e.g fertility treatment or anyother treatment which are constly if done privately.

I would appreciate a feed back from the experts !

[MWazir]

Are you specifically asking about the fertility treatment or is that just an example?

My understanding is that any treatment from the NHS is paid for by your national insurance and as such should not cost you anything extra provided it is a treatment thats a necessity no matter what the cost. You wouldnt expect the NHS to pay for a plastic surgery to remove some old scar so that you can look better. Another example is having a cesarean. As a pregnent lady you would be expected to have a natural delivery unless there are some complications in your case that necessitate a cesarean. You can no longer opt foe a cesarean due to the rising costs of the trusts.

In the example of fertility treatment, NHS would have to arrive at the conclusion that a particular couple is in fact infertile over an extended period of time. This and the type/amount of treatment ofcourse depends on the different local hospital trusts (some of whom dont provide such a service at all) that operate under the NHS but I did read that upto 3 IVF cycles are free of charge in some places.

[Mrs Khan]

Thank you for your feed back. Yes i have referred to Fertility treatment by NHS in particular.

A slight explanation would help further. What if a treatments is to be taken by a HSMP visa holder who is without a job but his/her dependent is contributing towards National Insurance. It is a scenario when dependent is on job and contributing but main applicant is jobless and pay no NI since arrival to UK?.

[MWazir]

Even if you are not working, you are still registered with your local GP and you have a NHS card. It wouldnt make any difference weather the dependent is contributing or neither of you are. I know a couple on HSMP visas who had a baby and neither were employed through out the duration of the pregnancy. Regarding the treatment specifically for HSMP holders, I have not seen any prohibitions. If there are any, you will be told about it by your local GP/hospital in time.

You will probably have been refered by your local GP to a nearby hospital. One factor that you will have to brace yourself for is that the treatment offered is limited and that there might be a waiting period involved and that is if such a treatment is offered by the local trust in the first place.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 37,00.html
Note this link is a year old and circumstances may have changed a bit for the better since.

[John]

I understand that HSMP visa holders are not entitled to receive / claim any benefits in UK

Not so, the rule is not nearly that strict. The visa will have a "No recourse to Public Funds" restriction, but "Public Funds" as defined by para 6 of the immigration rules is quite a limited list, and whilst it contains important benefits such as Income Support and Child Benefit, it certainly does not include every possible type of benefit.

In particular the definition of Public Funds makes no mention of the NHS, nor state schools, nor anything to do with maternity.

[amberw]

HI Mrs Khan!

If u r are registered with your local GP and you have a NHS card and ur Gp or any NHS specialists prescribes u any treatment, then u r entitled to this. wheather is fertility, any operation etc, irrespective of ur job or status (unless u r registered to local GP). and yes it is right that there is a very long queue, u have to wait for months.

[pantaiema]

My understanding is that NHS provide basic health. Everybody who is legally live in the UK entitle to use NHS. This is something to do with human right. Everybody in the UK entiles for basic health and it does not depend on whether you contribute or not.

Let say an HSMP visa holders does not work, thus he does not contribute to NI number, he still entitles to use NHS.

Pantaiema

[Mrs Khan]

Thanks alot for all valuable contributions. I hope this would help lots of other poeple especially those who were not use to get the government funded health treatments in their country of origin.

Yes i am registered with a GP though i do not have a NHS card but i wanted to clear it coz some of the GPs are not aware of the HSMP program even some employment companies; I was asked several time what does HSMP stand for !!! my GP did ask me what is my status and i had to first explain HSMP stuff to him and then my problem

I understand that people have to wait in a que to go through such like treatments but it is re assuring that HSMP holders are not denied the services which are available to ordinary UK resident.

[fosho]

Thanks for the interesting topic,

But how long it takes to issue the NHS card, I have registered with the GP since April and not received the card yet, and I have been working since May, and paying my NI.

I was surprised that the GP told my wife that we have to pay the delivery, she has not requested to have caesarean delivery!!

And, is the NI related to NHS?

[John]

how long it takes to issue the NHS card

According to this NHS webpage :-

How do I get an NHS medical card?

Where a person has registered as a patient at a doctors' surgery, they may receive a NHS Medical Card, which exists for purely NHS administrative purposes, and provides basic details such as a patient's name, address, NHS number, registered practice (or the name of an individual practitioner) and details of the local PCT.

When you register with a new Doctor, the receptionist will give you a form to fill in (GMS1). When you have completed and returned the forms, your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) will transfer your medical records to your new surgery and write to you to confirm your registration as a patient with the surgery.

NHS Medical cards are not universally used - some PCTs don't issue them at all, others do so only on request.

-: you might not even be issued with an NHS card, but that does not detract from the ability to use the NHS.

I was surprised that the GP told my wife that we have to pay the delivery, she has not requested to have caesarean delivery!!

If you and your family are here because of HSMP ... absolutely not true! You and your family are fully entitled to use the NHS. If the doctor persists in that view, contact the local PCT ... Primary Care Trust ... for confirmation that you and your family are entitled.

is the NI related to NHS?

No, there is no connection at all.