Massive 800 per cent surge in foreigners having private healthcare in the UK... as doctors claim to be cutting back NHS hours 'to protect wellbeing' and backlogs continue to rise

Massive 800 per cent surge in foreigners having private healthcare in the UK...

as doctors claim to be cutting back NHS hours 'to protect wellbeing' and backlogs continue to rise READ MORE: Patients at RISK as doctors cut hours to improve work-life balance By John Ely Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline Published: 07:48 EDT, 8 August 2024 | Updated: 07:54 EDT, 8 August 2024 e-mail View comments The number of medical tourists visiting the UK for private healthcare including cancer therapies has soared by a whopping 800 per cent in less than a decade, new data shows. Figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), a Government-backed body tracking paid-for treatment in the UK, showed non-UK patients accounted for 10,640 hospital admissions last year. A fifth of these had pricey treatment within a facility run by the NHS — a controversial practice which critics say drains much-needed resources away from health service.

It comes despite the latest NHS data showing almost 6.4million patients are stuck on waiting lists in for elective care in England alone. Despite booming business on private wards, NHS medics at 'breaking point' are reportedly cutting back their working hours to 'protect their wellbeing'.

Your browser does not support iframes. The vast majority of foreign private patients, over 15,000, recorded since 2016 were from wealthy nations on the Arabian Peninsula such as Oman, Qatar , Saudi Arabia , and the United Arab Emirates. This was followed by Irel.