GETTY Calls have been made to quit the EU to save the NHS

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In a boost for the out campaign Professor Angus Dalgleish warned that our continued membership of the EU will put our health service under intolerable pressure and lead to it collapsing.



The Principal of the highly regarded Cancer Vaccine Institute in London has said that the NHS is being “bled dry” by European migrants arriving here to use our free NHS services.



The warning from one of the world’s most internationally renowned medical experts will be made at a conference organised by Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman titled: “The Good Life after Brexit: How Britain will be safer leaving the EU - and what comes next.”



It comes as the Daily Express’ online poll of more than 101,000 people shows that 92 per cent want Britain to leave the EU.

GETTY The pro-EU camp have said that the NHS would collapse if Britain leaves the EU

Professor Dalgleish will say: “Our membership of the EU is putting an intolerable strain on our NHS. The NHS is on its knees and could collapse completely.



“NHS Trusts were not prepared for the millions of EU migrants who have poured into Britain because the Government estimate was nowhere near the reality.



“GP services are collapsing under the huge number of people they are having to treat and this has led to less than 20 per cent of students wanting to become GPs.

Britain is attracting thousands of health tourists from across the EU who cannot get certain drugs or treatments in their home country Professor Dalgleish

He added: “The health service is being bled dry - this is why our NHS faces a £3 billion deficit.”



In 2014/15 250,000 migrants arrived from EU countries and there are thought to be 618,000 undocumented immigrants in the UK.



In 2013 the cost of health tourism to the UK was estimated by the government to be at least £2billion a year and its attempts to introduce a surcharge was aimed at recouping at least £500million but only got £100million back.



The conference in London tomorrow (weds) will also mark a major milestone in the efforts to win Britain’s independence from the EU with the three major organisations hoping to lead the campaign - Vote Leave, Leave.EU and Grassroots Out (GO) - sharing a platform for the first time.



Professor Dalgleish will appear with former Tory ministers Liam Fox, David Davis and John Redwood, Labour MP Graham Stringer, Ukip Leader Nigel Farage, DUP’s Iain Paisley Jr, Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott and Leave.EU head of press Brian Montieth.

With Prime Minister David Cameron set to try to iron out the final details of his much derided renegotiation of the UK’s membership of the EU next week in time for holding the referendum on 23 June, the conference will begin to outline the positive alternatives available with a Brexit.



However, Professor Dalgleish, 65 – who stood for Ukip in Sutton and Cheam in last year’s election - will issue a stark warning on the future of the NHS if Britain votes to remain in the EU.



It will destroy the arguments made by the “remain” camp which has tried to argue that the NHS would collapse if Britain leaves.

GETTY Professor Dalgleish warned: 'Our membership of the EU is putting an intolerable strain on our NHS'

In contrast to Mr Cameron’s focus on blocking migrants from getting in work benefits, Professor Dalgleish will warn that health tourism is a far greater problem, but not one which the Prime Minister has even attempted to address in his renegotiation.



He will say: “Britain is attracting thousands of health tourists from across the EU who cannot get certain drugs or treatments in their home country so come to Britain and demand them as EU citizens.



“Cancer treatment can cost £200,000 a year per patient and while we remain in the EU, Britain has to offer treatment for any EU citizen who comes here so as to not discriminate.”



Even more seriously he will show the EU directives have already harmed cutting edge medical research by British laboratories into major diseases.



Most worryingly medical research is now being tied up into knots by the “unfathomable amount of EU regulations and bureaucracy” which has reduced the amount carried out in the UK by a third.

He will say: “The introduction of the EU Clinical Trials Directive meant academic led studies carried out in Britain became illegal if not performed to new EU standards.



“By blindly adhering to EU Directives, the British Government has hindered crucial medical research in key disease areas.”



He will add: “Britain was world leading in these studies but because of the EU, we now lag behind the United States.”



He will also argue that the EU’s Working Time Directive has “destroyed the NHS” and meant training standards “have been hit so hard they have slipped to worrying levels”.

GETTY The top cancer specialist said the NHS is being 'bled dry' by European migrants