UK health deal consultation ‘would have been pointless’
Friday 22nd May 2009, 12:15PM BST.
THE States knew of the ending of the reciprocal health agreement months before it was disclosed to the public, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Thanks to the UK’s Health Service Journal, correspondence between the UK Department of Health and the States of Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney over the ending of the reciprocal health agreement has come to light. This information was not obtainable without a UK request because no freedom of information act exists in the island.
The letters between Minister of State for Public Health Dawn Primarolo and Chief Minister Lyndon Trott indicate that following an annual meeting between officials in London and the Channel Islands on 15 May 2008, a letter from Ms Primarolo on 28 May notified the chief minister that the UK intended to withdraw from the agreement.
But Health did not inform the public of the ending of the agreement until September 2008.
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“But Health did not inform the public of the ending of the agreement until September 2008, after the Guernsey elections!!”
;)
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The letter from Dawn Primarolo intending to to withdraw from the agreement as well as the meeting with Ms Primarola took place in May 2008.
The elections of 2008 were in April 2008.
Result : HSSD not guilty of a cover up for election purposes.
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All of us with families in the UK and Guernsey must get UK members of their families to write to their M.P.s asking that the reciprocal agreement be reinstated. Guernsey state members should have been more open about this and told everyone what was happening so that we could have all campaigned against it.
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Why should the UK pay for the Guernsey healthcare when you not contribute in to the system? If your taxes do not boost the health economies pot and you benefit from reduced taxes as a result then you should pay for private healthcare. Can’t have it both ways, that’s just plain greedy.
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Not sure what the problem is. If we go to the UK we still get emergency care free (why else would you want to get medical care in the UK)? If we need care which cannot be provided locally then the States pay for our treatment in the UK plus travel costs.
It may be different the other way around as UK visitors have to pay a lot for treatment here if they have not taken out travel insurance (like we have to pay to see our doctor so do they) – they just need to be educated to take out medical insurance when they travel.
We don’t pay taxes to the UK and UK residents do not pay into our social insurance so it makes sense really.
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I understand your sentiments Steve but they reflect a common misunderstanding over the reciprocal agreement. Guernsey certainly did not recieve any “free treatment” from the UK taxpayer.
What happened is that the NHS kept a careful record of the costs of both treating Guernsey people who fell ill in the UK and [far more significantly] those sent from Guernsey to the UK for tertiary treatment. Guernsey, in turn, kept a record of cash spent on treating UK residents when in the island. Each year the two totals were netted off and Guernsey paid several million pounds to the UK as their total was always far bigger.
So there was no subsidy but it did provide peace of mind for holiday makers. While it is sad in many ways that this has come to an end it seems perverse to blame the local autorities. Such a bi-lateral agreement requires two willing parties and its clear the UK has decided to withdraw from all reciprocal health agreements – not just with the Channel Islands.
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Steve
not sure about plain greedy mate, i think its more a case you got your facts wrong as has been pointed out by peter R.
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Peter,
I was always informed by every travel agent that I booked with in the UK that I would require to take out insurance for medical treatment when I visited Guernsey, which I have done over the past thirty years. Have I been misinformed?
From your reply not only do I claim back from my insurance company for any treatment that I received but so did the States of Guernsey for the same treatment from the NHS!!!
If so I shall be contacting the travel agents in an attempt to claim the money spent on insurance back.
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