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There’s only a month left before the formal consultation on an NHS-related bill, put forward by Stuart McMillan MSP, closes – and UK insurers are being urged to participate.
The proposed legislation, which is backed by Clydeside Action on Asbestos, aims to recoup the medical costs associated with NHS treatment for industrial injuries and diseases caused by negligence. This includes asbestos-related conditions, as well as the likes of industrial deafness, asthma, and skin diseases.
According to Clydeside Action on Asbestos’ estimate, NHS Scotland spends more than £20 million a year diagnosing and treating people suffering from the effects of being exposed to asbestos. While under Scottish law there’s a recovery system – meaning the NHS is able to claim from insurance companies – for cases of accidents, there is no such system in place for industrial diseases.
“The costs to the NHS of treating people who have had industrial injuries or developed industrial injuries should be met by the insurers as part of the civil compensation process,” commented Clydeside Action on Asbestos manager Phyllis Craig MBE when the consultation process began in March. “Of course, a consultation on the recovery of NHS costs will stimulate discussion and debate on this is to be welcomed.
“My hope is that the bill will ultimately recover all costs of treatments provided by the NHS, as this will mean that it will be the liability of insurers to meet the costs of diagnosing, managing, and treating those who have suffered an injury or illness [and this] can be enshrined in law.”
McMillan, for his part, essentially wants the same recovery system to apply when it comes to industrial diseases and injuries – describing the money the NHS stands to reclaim as “much needed cash.”
“For many years the NHS has been able to recover the costs of injuries caused by road traffic accidents – I would like to see that principle extended to industrial diseases,” noted the MSP for Greenock & Inverclyde. “The NHS in Scotland should not be disadvantaged by paying the financial price for the care and treatment of individuals whose injuries have been caused by a person or organisation’s negligence.
“I believe that the NHS in Scotland should also be fairly compensated when it treats someone who suffers from an industrial disease.”
The ongoing consultation, through smartsurvey.co.uk/s/recoveryofnhscosts, will close on June 22.
