NHS charging British Army veteran more than £27,000 for brain surgery

A Commonwealth-born veteran, who served for more than a decade in the British army including tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, has been told he must pay more than £27,000 for NHS hospital bills after an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour.

Hospital staff have classified Taitusi Ratucaucau, 49, as an overseas patient, and therefore ineligible for free NHS care. He joined the British army in 2001 and has been continuously in the UK since being discharged from the military in 2011, living here with his wife and three daughters, and paying tax and national insurance.

Ratucaucau, originally from Fiji, is recovering in a London hospital after major brain surgery on 30 April. He is meant to be focusing on his physical rehabilitation but said he was spending most of his time worrying about how he would meet the demand for payment, given that he has no savings, is the main breadwinner for his family and is currently too unwell to work. The bill is increasing by around £1,500 for every day he remains an inpatient.

Syl wrote:Anyone who has fought for this country, lived here for years paying tax and insurance  should be entitled to the same NHS care as the rest of us, regardless of where he origionated from.

Hopefully he will win his case and it will set a precedent for other foreign ex military who fought for this country and find themselves in similar situations.

Maddog wrote:

Syl wrote:Anyone who has fought for this country, lived here for years paying tax and insurance  should be entitled to the same NHS care as the rest of us, regardless of where he origionated from.

Hopefully he will win his case and it will set a precedent for other foreign ex military who fought for this country and find themselves in similar situations.

Apparently they are entitled to, if they apply for settlement. Whatever that means.

You would think the military would walk these folks through this as they re being discharged, and the fees would be waived.  

Syl wrote:

Maddog wrote:

Apparently they are entitled to, if they apply for settlement. Whatever that means.

You would think the military would walk these folks through this as they re being discharged, and the fees would be waived.  

Yes, that's what the lawsuit is about.
How are ex military to know what to do if they are not advised.

Ratucaucau is one of a group of Commonwealth-bornmilitary veterans who launched legal action against the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence earlier this year, over an alleged systemic failure to advise them of the need to apply for settlement in the UK on discharge and for failing to assist them with complex, expensive immigration rules

Syl wrote:Reading of how Ben has faced red tape trying to live here, obviously ours is the same too.
I don't think anyone realises all the pitfalls till they are in the situation that they need to know.

Ex military should be offered the help to wade through all the red tape though.