Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

A real insight into what going on in the NHS. Surgeons waiting around as cannot operate as no beds for the surgical patients etc. A real eye opener. Next weeks program is about looking into foreign patients and charging them for their treatment even after their ops they are being billed without them knowing.

"foreign patients and charging them for their treatment"

This should have always been the case health tourism is the sole reason why the NHS is on it's knees it is NOT free treatment for every Tom Dick and Harry in the world it is treatment for people who have payed (10 years plus) or are paying into the system bring it on charge health tourists full whack plus as expats are charged extortionate amounts here for normally inexperienced shoddy treatment.

Expats are charged everywhere in the world, not just here - try being an expat and going to the UK (where you have already paid in for over 40 years to the NHS) and see what sort of service you get! Try explaining to the hospital that you still pay income tax on your pensions to the UK and see what sort of difference that makes! To the NHS, as an expat, you are simply a foreign patient anyway - no matter where you were born and lived till you became an expat. Of course you could always be an expat and retain a UK address, visit your registered doctor twice a year and then use the NHS services by default! But then you would not be an expat would you?

Waddo, been there seen it and have the t shirt. Despite needing a new knee desperately, having a surgeon friend booked, a date booked, theatre booked etc etc etc, we had a phone call to say Admin had cancelled the OP. Surgeon fought for Op to be done as did UK GP but Admin threw it out again. This was after a check was made on my husbands in and out to UK. He had not lived for 6 consecutive in the UK, so OUT!! As you say, we could have been like dozens of our friends in TRNC and told porkies by the bucket load, then the Op would have gone ahead. PS. to rub salt in the wound, NHS sent us a bill for 290 GBP for cancelling the Op and wasting NHS Operating time. That really hurt!!!

Why do "ex-pats" (i.e. Immigrants) think that because they paid £x into the UK's Social Fund that they are then entitled to full pension rights, free health care etc.?

The contributions made when living in the UK paid for those resident there at that time (e.g. parents and grandparents).

The Social Fund's expenditure today is being paid by those who are working today (and a small proportion by those who may be retired but who are still paying income tax - though to be doing so means that their income is above threshold levels).

Sorry - !!

Probably because expats who return to the UK as immigrants expect to be treated in the same manner as non expat immigrants moving to the UK? However, as an expat returning as an immigrant they are treated at well below that category and are an easy target for Government agency's. While the NHS has never been entirely publicly funded, the percentage of funding from National Insurance and general taxation is at an all-time high. An increase to National Insurance rates in 2001, designed mainly to give a boost to NHS funding, led to the balance between National Insurance and general taxation changing, although general taxation still accounts for around 80 per cent of all NHS funding. Whilst I am happy that my income tax went towards the care for my parents/grandparents - all long dead and gone now - I am not happy that a known proportion of my income tax is still being paid towards what? If your assumption is correct that it is for the care of my parents/grandparents, then by default, it is theft by no other word to continue charging for it. I suppose that expats could compound the ridiculous NHS situation by applying to pay the IHS before they went back to UK, but as an EU citizen already they are not allowed to. Successive Governments just ignore the situation and throw more money down the NHS hole. A better system is needed and I think that only external pressure from groups such as expats will only continue to highlight the problems.

My friends, living in the South are living on a UK state pension and government pension. As expats resident in the EU RoC they are only taxed at the highly favourable RoC tax rates (5%) as there is a reciprocal tax arrangement with the UK. They receive the same free medical treatment in the RoC as locals. Interestingly, the bill for any medical treatment they have in the RoC is sent to the NHS in the UK. I'd be interested to know just how much the NHS actually collects from other countries i.e. EU for medical treatment of their citizens.

Hector wrote:....,,, I'd be interested to know just how much the NHS actually collects from other countries i.e. EU for medical treatment of their citizens.

See here

Stg£97million 2013-14
Stg£289million 2015-16 (due to immigration health surcharge applied to students and immigrants)
Stg£500million target for 2017-18

You're welcome! No charge

Hector: your friends in the south (and any Brits over 60) have a form S1 from the NHS in UK. This is lodged with the Ministry of Health in the south and entitles you to a medical card which gives you the same access to medical treatment as the Greek Cypriots. The British government don't pay for individual treatments but they do pay an agreed monthly amount - was about 240 euros but may be more now. This is the case in most EU countries and reciprocal arrangements also apply.

Interestingly - the reciprocal agreement is between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus - should there be a settlement and either the RoC ceases to exist or the KKTC forms part of the RoC (as it originally was) then it is quite possible that the same agreement will also cover those British (EU does not come into this agreement) citizens here and the income tax that some of us pay to the UK would then be paid - at a rate of 5% - to whatever the KKTC becomes. The main point being that NHS paid services would then be funded here but probably only in state run hospitals. Just another little thing to keep ticking away in the back of ex pat minds!!!

Well, watched the latest episode of this very interesting programme last night, all about recouping costs from non UK residents......I think anyone living over here, in Cyprus, that feels medical costs are high, should perhaps take a look, the costs are HUGE, although mostly not collected......it certainly was an eyeopener. I am not wishing to start a debate about the rights and wrongs of the system, but, I think it maybe makes you appreciate the costs of medical care.

Hospital BBC 2 ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088rp6x

Hospital, episodes, on demand 1 to 4 YouTube...
https://youtu.be/BFmQg99P_ng
Scroll down right for episodes 2, 3 & 4.
Future episodes should be added as they are aired
Works via my android box, You Tube app.