Call to reassure illegal immigrants they can seek help amid Covid-19 crisis
The Government is being urged to give immigrants without status reassurance that they will get NHS treatment for coronavirus without fear of being reported.
Concerns have been raised that many, who may have symptoms of Covid-19 but not ‘leave to remain’ status, may not be seeking the necessary medical assistance for fear of being taken into custody or deported.
The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds is calling for the Welsh Government, which controls the country's health care, to reassure the public that everyone can access treatment without fear of being reported to immigration authorities.
Ms Jane Dodds said: “I hope the Welsh Government will give this reassurance and apply pressure on the UK Government to do the same. We all need to be focused on the real priority – defeating Covid-19.
“It doesn’t respect borders and it does not care about your immigration status. It affects us all equally and we need to ensure everyone who has the virus can get the treatment they need and help avoid spreading the disease
“I am incredibly concerned that people across Wales may be too scared to seek medical help, despite displaying symptoms, due to fear of deportation. Not having ‘leave to remain’ should not stop you from getting the help you need.
“If we truly want to defeat this pandemic, then we need to reassure everyone that our NHS services will treat everyone equally. That we won’t be implementing visa checks at A&E departments or that NHS staff will not be expected to call immigration services on their patients."
