England to offer free HIV treatment to foreign nationals

England has announced plans to offer free treatment of foreign nationals with HIV on the
National Health Service (NHS) in a bid to reduce the risk of Britons being infected and cut the costs of more expensive later treatment.
The plans are backed by the government and campaigners hoping on the impact of reducing this by reducing the number of HIV infection in the United Kingdom.
Only British residents are currently eligible for the free treatment, which excludes migrants.
The Department of Health said it would bring England into line with Scotland and Wales, and there would be safeguards against “health tourism”.
 
In Britain, there are an estimated 25,000 people with undiagnosed HIV, many of whom were born abroad.
People from overseas ( failed asylum seekers, students and tourists) cannot be treated for the condition unless they pay, which is not the case for other infectious diseases.
Conservative former cabinet Minister, Lord Fowler, who headed the government’s Aids awareness campaign in the 1980s, has called for an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill currently before the Lords. This would extend free treatment to those who have been in Britain for six months. innit?

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