UK taxpayers face paying medical payments for migrants deported to Rwanda
UK taxpayers will cover the medical bills of migrants deported to Rwanda if they have to be sent abroad for treatment, it has been revealed.
A deal signed between the Kigali government and a health insurance firm has revealed that deportees may be sent to countries including India, Belgium and Turkey to receive care not available in the African state.
Rwanda is expected to cover the medical care of those sent there from the UK after flights begin in July under the terms of the £290million deal signed in 2022.
Documents seen by the Times today say that ‘they may be transferred abroad in case of a diagnosis or a medical condition that cannot be treated in Rwanda’, if approved by a Kigali based ‘referral board.
Separately, documents published by the Home Office last week after showed the types of care migrants should receive from Rwanda
The quality of treatment should be in line with that received by Rwandans and includes ‘family planning services’, glasses, dentistry and hearing aids.
It came as the number of migrants to have arrived in the UK in small boats across the Channel approached the 10,000 mark as two more vessels arrived on Sunday.
A deal signed between the Kigali government and a health insurance firm has revealed that deportees may be sent to countries including India , Belgium and Turkey to receive care not available in the African state.
It came as the number of migrants to have arrived in the UK in small boats across the Channel approached the 10,000 mark as two more vessels arrived on Sunday.
Small boats and engines used to cross the Channel by people thought to be migrants at a warehouse facility in Dover
The destination each patient is sent to will be based on the ‘nature and severity of the patient’s conditions’ and will cover ‘highly specialised diagnosis and treatment that are not offered in Rwanda’, the Times reported.
Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said it was ‘yet more evidence that the Rwanda scheme is not what it was billed to be, with additional further costs to the already incredibly expensive scheme’.
Marley Morris of the IPPR think tank told the Times: ‘The ”per person” costs are very significant. If you were to do this at scale, it would cost billions. This is an attempt by the UK to ensure as a justification for being able to send people to Rwanda … they can demonstrate they will get comprehensive healthcare.
‘If there are medical needs of individuals due to be relocated, the UK government can point to this. It’s an attempt to circumvent some of the legal issues of people claiming to be exempt.’
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We have proven time and again that Rwanda is a safe country, most recently with our landmark Safety of Rwanda Act and joint, legally binding Treaty. ‘Under the Treaty, those relocated to Rwanda will have access to healthcare services and will receive an initial medical assessment on arrival.’
A total of 103 people made the crossing in two boats on Saturday bringing the total so far this year, not including Sunday’s arrivals, to 9,803.
This compares to 7,217 by the same date last year and 8,693 in 2022, 3,112 in 2021 and 1,492 in 2020.
There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36 per cent on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
The Labour Party says that its analysis of the Home Office figures shows that the small boat arrivals have been at a ‘record pace’ with 201 boats having made the crossing up to Saturday.
Mr Kinnock added: ‘Thousands of people have crossed the Channel since the Government’s Rwanda bill passed, with crossings up a third on last year already.
‘The figures also show that criminal smuggler gangs are piling more and more people into each unseaworthy boat, putting lives at even greater risk.
Women and children were among those seen being taken off the first of the boats to arrive on Sunday morning as they were taken into Dover onboard a Border Force vessel.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible.
‘We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.
‘Last year they stopped 26,000 people from reaching our shores.
‘We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.’
