Since 2004, most failed asylum seekers and other undocumented migrants have been unable to access free NHS secondary care (like non-emergency hospital treatments). Now the government is considering doing the same with primary care (preventing them seeing an NHS doctor, for example). How low can you go? This barbaric decision would put the health some of the most vulnerable people in UK at great risk. Many asylum seekers suffer from physical or mental illness resulting from the persecution they were fleeing from in the first place. The uncertainty of going through the asylum process in UK is very stressful. Losing their case, along with housing support and money for food, contributes greatly to illness. West Midlands Anti Racist Campaign, ARC, has called for a protest at the surgery of Liam Byrne MP, Minister for Immigration at the Home Office, on Saturday 5th April 2008. For details, please see Birmingham Indymedia article.
* See also: Asylum seekers in Coventry are already being turned away by some GPs.