Uk Accused Of ‘stark Injustice’ As Woman From Montserrat Refused Free Nhs Care

The UK has been accused of a “stark injustice” for failing to supply wellness services and humanitarian support to citizens of British overseas territories aft a female from nan Caribbean land of Montserrat was refused free NHS attraction and near homeless.

Council officials recovered Cherry Brown, 69, sleeping unsmooth successful a parkland successful Swanley, Kent, successful April. Brown had been funded by nan Montserratian authorities – whose fund is mostly subsidised by nan UK – to recreation to England to person curen from nan NHS that was not disposable astatine home.

Once successful nan UK she was incapable to enactment pinch relatives, and was told she did not person nan correct to lodging aliases free aesculapian curen because of her position arsenic a British overseas territory (BOT) national – which differs from that of British citizenship.

Brown has hypertension and needs 2 knee replacements, among different wellness issues.

‘If I had known each of these things [would hap to me] I would person stayed location and died successful my furniture successful peace.’ Photograph: Cherry Brown

“I became ill, can’t negociate activity immoderate much … then, I’m sleeping successful a park. I americium homeless,” she said. “I conscionable can’t understand it. Travelling connected a passport that’s British.”

Ryan Hayman, nan main executive of Swanley municipality council, said he paid for a edifice for Brown and was later capable to put impermanent accommodation, but which had nary entree to cooking and laundry facilities.

“Cherry was stuck successful limbo, hence Swanley and myself were trying to support her until Kent region assembly could location her,” he said. “Then, to adhd reproach to injury, Cherry started to person nan bills [from nan NHS].”

Brown is surviving connected a mini play stipend from Kent council, and said she had nary measurement of paying nan NHS for her care. Hayman told nan Guardian that nan Home Office had offered to swipe “any alleged debts” if Brown voluntarily returned to Montserrat – but that would time off her without nan attraction she desperately needed.

Montserrat, 1 of 14 UK overseas territories, has been devastated by a drawstring of earthy disasters, including nan 1995 eruption of nan Soufrière Hills volcano, which destroyed its capital, Plymouth, and forced two-thirds of its organization to flee. Thirty years later, wellness accommodation connected nan land person not been afloat restored, officials location say.

Brown said she loved her land and was keen to return aft she sewage nan curen she needed.

“I didn’t travel present to unrecorded … I conscionable request thief to get my aesculapian [care] to get maine backmost connected way and spell home, because we do not person that benignant of wellness work there,” she said. “If you get a cold, you’re OK. Anything higher than a seasonal flu, you’re successful problems.”

Donaldson Romeo, a Montserrat MP and a erstwhile premier of nan island, has travelled to nan UK to effort to discuss urgent assistance for Brown and different Montserratian, Robert Baker, who is successful a infirmary successful Jamaica and who he wants to beryllium brought to nan UK for NHS care.

In a missive to nan Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Romeo drew a parallel to the Windrush scandal, erstwhile Caribbean group were wrongly detained and deported. He criticised nan authorities for subsidising asylum seekers pinch nary ties to nan UK while refusing basal humanitarian support to BOT citizens.

He added: “The injustice is stark … British overseas territory citizens specified arsenic Ms Brown and Mr Baker are near successful peril abroad, connected UK and Commonwealth ungraded without … humanitarian assistance.”

Donaldson Romeo, a Montserrat MP and erstwhile premier of nan island, has written to nan FCDO drafting a comparison pinch nan Windrush scandal.

Brown had been told by nan Montserrat authorities that she had been referred for assistance to recreation to nan UK, and believed she had qualified nether a strategy that allows up to 10 overseas citizens from each BOT to person NHS curen each year.

On arriving successful nan UK she discovered she was not connected nan programme, and nan NHS charged her for her care.

“If I had known each of these things [would hap to me], I would person stayed location and died successful my furniture successful peace,” Brown told nan Guardian.

Under nan policy, nan overseas territories must screen recreation and accommodation costs, and Romeo based on that nan statement did not return into relationship nan circumstantial challenges facing nan group of Montserrat which, since nan volcano eruption, has been incapable to reconstruct its wellness infrastructure.

“It’s clip for america arsenic Montserratians to guidelines up and request that we’re treated arsenic adjacent quality beings, arsenic citizens … and insist that nan British authorities provides for america to nan champion of their expertise … that they astatine slightest dainty america pinch nan respect fixed nether quality authorities law,” he said.

Andrew Rosindell, nan protector FCDO undersecretary, said nan British authorities needed to do much to support nan group of Montserrat.

“I don’t judge nan UK authorities has fixed nan support that Montserrat needed to rebuild its infrastructure and to get decently backmost connected its feet. It’s taken acold excessively long. I deliberation that successful Montserrat’s lawsuit nan UK authorities needs to beryllium much consenting to assistance pinch cases for illustration this. I don’t deliberation it’s adjacent that Montserratians who, done nary responsibility of their own, are near without being capable to get nan aesculapian attraction and support they need,” he said.

The Home Office and nan FCDO declined to comment.