Eurocrats threaten healthcare system
Many people in Wakefield and elsewhere tell me that they have an aversion to the European Union.
Well it sure knows how to set about making itself even more unpopular.
This week in parliament Labour backbenchers became concerned about a proposed EU directive about cross-border health treatment.
The directive has yet to be published but could be made into European law. Sounds boring? Yes but read on.
You may remember the case; it involved a woman who did not want to wait for a hip operation travelling over to France in order to have the operation done there.
She then asked the National Health Service to reimburse the money that she had spent on her treatment. The European Court decided she should be able to ask the NHS for the money.
Now the European Commission wants to pass laws to allow all citizens to travel to any European country they like in order to receive treatment and to be reimbursed by their own country's health service.
Although at first glance this may appear an attractive idea, it would pose serious problems for the NHS. I believe that the proposed directive would undermine the NHS.
We need good local health services rather than an loophole for those who can afford it to take themselves off to a European country they choose for a couple of weeks only to reclaim the money.
For those living in the Southeast, close to the Eurostar, travel for health care may be practical. But what about those in Wakefield and the North? They could end up, in effect, subsidising those closer to the Continent.
More important, the fundamental principles of the NHS are at stake in this argument. Health services should be local and free at the point of need. We should be proud of this and the ability of the NHS to determine independently where resources are best spent, for example, in reducing health inequalities.
Let's imagine that someone with a relatively trivial medical problem is having to wait a couple of months for treatment with the NHS. If they have the money they could go to Spain, have the operation there and come back with the NHS paying the bill.
The British government ultimately should be the agency which determines spending priorities because it is accountable to the electorate in a general election.
Most people want top class medical services provided by high quality local doctors and nurses. Locally at Pontefract General Infirmary we have been campaigning for a full fracture clinic so that constituents do not have to travel to Pinderfields Hospital.
I simply do not believe that most people want the European Commission deciding the character of NHS spending priorities.
Never mind the EU worrying about people travelling to Cyprus or Bulgaria for their hospital treatment, most people I meet in this area are more concerned with having the best possible service on their doorsteps rather than two bus rides away in Dewsbury or Leeds.
Many other MPs share my view and have signed up to the Early Day Motion that I have put down in parliament. This calls on the government to veto the proposed directive and to support Unison in its campaign against the directive.
Finally I would like to wish everyone a happy new year. I especially want to thank the local police in the area who work so hard throughout the year to keep our communities safe.
I am sorry that their pay deal has not been able to be met in full and am supportive of the police's calls for the government to honour the proposed pay settlement.
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Weather for Wakefield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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