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During the annual British Medical Association (BMA) conference in Belfast on Monday, 500 delegates voted in favour of abandoning the fees. Under current rules, EU citizens can qualify for free NHS treatment if they are in possession of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). EU citizens that can prove they have been in the UK for six months – but any others are charged before treatment, with NHS staff checking their status first.

But so-called health tourism is said to cost the NHS between £200million and £2billion per year. Proposing the motion, Dr Jackie Appleby said charging foreign patients was a form of “racial profiling”. Dr Appleby said: “The cost of health tourism is disputed. It’s peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

Doctors have voted to stop charging overseas patients to use the NHS

Those who backed the motion said charging overseas patients made health staff “complicit in racism”. Dr Omar Risk said: “We are doctors not border guards. “Charging migrants for accessing NHS services is a fundamentally racist endeavour – we are complicit in the oppressive regime.”



But doctors who opposed the motion, along with Tory MPs, said the abandoning of fees would put even more pressure on an already strained health service. Dr George Rae said: “The message coming from the BMA is: get on the plane, get on the boat because you will get treatment on the NHS for nothing.” Andrew Percy MP said: "It is incredible that some doctors want to open up the NHS to health tourism from people overseas who haven’t paid in.

People who oppose the motion say the NHS is already under financial strain

"Perhaps instead doctors who support this could pay for the treatment of these people themselves. "Most people would expect our NHS services to be reserved for those who are living here permanently and who are contributing to our system." Another MP, Philip Hollobone said: “The BMA is completely out of touch with public opinion on this issue.

Around 500 doctors passed the motion, saying charging overseas patients was 'racism'