
Tue 30 Jul 2013
The government is proposing to introduce a charge for all students coming to the UK to study to use the NHS. At present all international students here for more than 6 months have free treatment on the NHS.
The recent Oxford Economics report commissioned by the University of Sheffield in January 2013 showed that even when consumption of healthcare is taken into consideration, that there was a net economic benefit to Sheffield of £120.3 million in 2012/13.
The Students' Union believes that the introduction of healthcare charges of up to £200 per person per year of study is simply unfair and possibly hugely damaging to the local economy. For postgraduate students with families this could mean an additional visa fee of £3000 before even stepping foot into the UK. We think this gives a message that international students are not welcome in the UK and will mean more students will choose to study elsewhere.
What can I do?
The Students' Union is preparing a response to the public consultation on the introduction of the healthcare charges. The deadline is 28 August which does not give us much time. We would like you to: