OU researcher calls for universal access to healthcare

A report calling for universal access to healthcare and raising the needs of migrants denied healthcare has been co-authored by an OU academic.

Dr Kathryn Medien, OU Lecturer in Sociology has co-authored a report by The New Economics Foundation and the Patients Not Passports coalition called: “The International Struggle for Universal Healthcare” – an investigation into the action and campaigns across Europe which are fighting against the exclusion of migrants from healthcare.

The report looks at how and why migrants have their right to healthcare restricted, and focuses on the practical lessons that people can learn about the fight to defend universal access to healthcare.

Dr Medien said:

“This report takes on a new urgency in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Health is currently at the forefront of our minds and the NHS is being celebrated as a marker of national pride. However, many people may not realise that the NHS isn’t free for everyone.

“Thankfully, treatment for COVID-19 is exempt from the NHS charging regime. However research has demonstrated that some migrants still face barriers to accessing treatment for COVID-19 – these include fears that they will be deported if they come forward for treatment.”

Read more about OU research in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences