A top Isle of Man government official is seeking an “urgent meeting” with UK secretary of state for health Andrew Burnham, according to an IoM press report that says he will seek to challenge Britain’s plan to end its reciprocal health care agreement with the island at the end of March 2010.Under reciprocal health agreements, countries agree to provide medical treatment for one another’s citizens when they fall ill during visits.
The UK ended the Reciprocal Health Agreement with the Channel Islands on the 31 March 2009
Since the 1 April 2009, a Jersey resident who has an accident or falls ill while in the UK will still receive free treatment in an Accident and Emergency department (A&E) but will be charged for operations, out-patient appointments, treatment on a hospital ward and any other services needed as a result of the incident, including repatriation to Jersey.
The UK has maintained reciprocal health agreements with some 23 other countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Serbia Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.
The UK government would prefer to look after foreigners who speak no English and bleed the benefits system dry rather than those who are British, many of whom have, and some of whom still are, fighting for their mother country.
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