Muammar Al Khadafi

As Britain's HIV and AIDS epidemic continues a Parliamentary Select Committee report has - yet again - totally neglected to address the central issue, even though their own findings clearly point to it.



"In the United Kingdom, two groups—MSM and those from black African communities—are at highest risk of acquiring HIV. Of those diagnosed in 2010, just over 3,000 (45%) were MSM, and just over 1,700 (26%) identified as black African.[39] The majority of infections diagnosed in 2010 amongst MSM were acquired within the United Kingdom, whereas the majority of those newly diagnosed in the black African community were infected abroad.[40] Of those diagnosed with HIV and seen for care in 2009 (the latest year for which figures are available), 43% were MSM, and 33% were from black African communities."



In case we have any doubts, they've included a graph showing cases from 2000 until 2009 - which clearly shows a rapid acceleration in the number of cases among Black African Heterosexuals within the UK.



Most were infected abroad - meaning either on visits/holidays or, most likely, were quite probably already infected when they arrived in the UK to begin with.



Lax border control contributes greatly to the rising HIV epidemic within the UK, it is as simple as that.

And, it is a costly epidemic - the select committee report gives a total spend of £792million per year on treatment. That's a huge amount of money at a time when we're supposedly in a time of austerity, and it is a burden which grows year on year.



There is no cure, as the report itself is entitled, so HIV and AIDS present a long term, ever growing, drain on the NHS.



But, no, closing our borders, or requiring some form of testing prior to entry into the UK, is not among the reports recommendations.



Instead we are told that we should be providing free, lifelong healthcare for any asylum seeker and foreigner, whether failed or not.



"Charging people for their HIV treatment and care is wrong for public health, practical and ethical reasons. We recommend that HIV should be added to the list of conditions in the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, for which treatment is provided free of charge to all of those accessing care, regardless of residency status."



There, free healthcare. Just turn up here with HIV or AIDS, the British taxpayer will foot the bill for your treatment via an already overburdened NHS.



Human rights rulings await, if they've not already taken place. Deporting someone with HIV will breach their human rights because they'll not have access to medical treatment in their home country.



You know that will happen, if it hasn't already.



The change proposed by the select committee report will make us even more of a mecca for those from abroad who have the HIV virus.



Free treatment for years awaits if you can get into Britain.



It won't reduce the number of HIV cases here, it will increase them as it will transform us, more than we already are, into the doctor of first choice for the entire world.



If we are in any way serious about controlling HIV - and for that matter TB - within the UK then the best possible treatment would be to prevent it from becoming Britain's problem to begin with by strengthening our borders.



We will continue to labour under ever increasing epidemics, which can in large part be attributed to the importation of infected people, until the day that we stop importing those people and stop giving them every encouragement to come here.



Select Committee Report - Here

Courtesy of The Sun we have yet another insight into how people from the world over consider Britain to be a soft touch and are determined to milk us for all we are worth.

Afram and Bibi Ismail, are believed to have fled Africa. Afram has Tuberculosis, how much is that costing the NHS? Bibi Ismail also had surgery - you guessed it, paid for by the NHS.

But, that's not enough. They're now suing the UKBA for "discrimination" claiming that the amount of benefits they get (£181 a week) is not enough to take their children on holiday.

You really couldn't make it up, everyone and their uncle the world over appear to be looking for ways to fleece the British taxpayer for every penny they can get.

The UKBA said "Those with no right to be here should return home. We reject this claim and will fight this case in the courts".

Just kick them out then, save the money on huge court costs. Between lawyers and human rights the British people are getting robbed left, right, and centre.

Britain is a laughing stock the world over, everyone knows our pockets are bottomless and are there to be picked.

Full Story

North Bristol NHS Trust, currently facing cutbacks of £28 million and the loss of over 400 jobs, has spent £2.4 million on treating foreign patients who are not eligible for free NHS care.

The trust, which covers Southmead and Frenchay hospitals, admitted to the huge scale of spending on 'health tourists' in an answer to a Freedom of Information request.

Since 2003 they have billed foreign patients who were not eligible for free health care a total of £2.4 million - and have succeeded in recovering on £688,000 of that from the patients, leaving £1,732,000 spent out on foreign patients with no entitlement to free treatment, a sum which is not likely to be recovered.

A question in Parliament revealed that, across Britain, £35.4 million had been written off as unrecoverable, a figure which beggars belief considering the huge cutbacks which our NHS is facing.

Chris Skidmore, Tory MP for Kingswood, said that "In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of foreign nationals, ineligible for free care, who have been using NHS services".

Indeed there has been, and if we wondered why - apart from our lax border controls of course - a spokesman for North Bristol NHS Trust spells it out.

"Refusing patients medical treatment when they need it would be unacceptable. We have procedures in place to recover the cost of that treatment but unfortunately, due to the often transient nature of this category of patients, repeated attempts are, in many cases, unsuccessful".

Of course. Those presenting themselves for free treatment know that they've a very good chance of getting away with never paying, so they take a chance. The odds are good they'll get away with it, the odds are that even if they turned up owing money we'd still treat them.

Britain has become a focal point for health tourists from all over the world - and it's all of us that keep picking up the bill, even whilst we ourselves suffer under an NHS which is being forced to cut back services and staff in order to save money.