At the United Nations in New York today (23 September), the UK will affirm its support for universal health coverage around the world.
One reason the UK is at the forefront of championing this core principle of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that – as an example of universal health coverage - the NHS was established to ensure everyone could access health services, regardless of their ability to pay.
But the sad truth is the UK can no longer claim to provide healthcare for all. Over recent years successive governments have expanded efforts to restrict access to the NHS. Next month marks the second anniversary of the introduction of upfront charges for NHS care for many migrants – a policy that is demonstrably causing harm to patients. Just last week it was reported that a 39-year-old woman had died, after having been wrongly denied treatment for breast cancer.
