Dying Migrants Too Scared To See A Doctor For Fear Of Deportation, MPs Are Warned.
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Seriously ill migrants are too scared to seek medical treatment in the UK for fear of being deported, MPs were warned today.
Experts told Parliament’s health select committee that data sharing systems between the NHS and Home Office leave many too scared to see a doctor, leading to people dying from treatable illnesses and pregnant women missing out on vital care.
Marissa Begonia of Voice of Domestic Workers, which campaigns for recognition and representation for household workers, was reduced to tears as she explained how one woman died because she was too worried about seeking help for her persistent cough.
“We had one member who died and never sought any hospitalisation or GP because she was too frightened,” she said.
“She was not even aware of what kind of disease she had - she was just coughing very badly and just thought it was a cold.”
Dr Lucinda Haim, a GP at Doctors Of The World, which provides treatment to those excluded from healthcare, said the organisation had seen many cases of pregnant women seeking help from them - or from accident and emergency departments in hospitals - because they were too scared to give their address to a GP.