£200k of unpaid bills for ops on foreigners

Hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire are chasing more than £200,000 in unpaid debts racked up by foreigners who have had emergency operations.

The highest outstanding bills are at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust, which runs Sandwell Hospital and City Hospital, where 34 patients owe a total of £120,293.

The biggest debt has been racked up by an American who owes just over £16,000 for cardiology care back in 2007.

Sandwell trust spokesman spokeswoman Jessamy Kinghorn said: "We treat foreign patients who attend our hospitals needing emergency care and actively pursue all outstanding debts in relation to the care they receive."

At the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Hospitals Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, the total outstanding debt is £41,829 relating to seven patients.

The biggest bill there is for a coronary artery by pass on a patient from Zambia last year who owes £12,863.

Hospital chiefs there say they do all they can to chase the debts but admit it is harder when someone is based abroad.

At Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Walsall Manor, the outstanding debt is £17,159 for 15 patients with the most expensive unpaid bill - £4,558.

Meanwhile at Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall, the total of invoices raised for overseas visitors in 2008/2009 is £31,101. More than £26,000 is owed - £9,017 is still outstanding and the trust also says £17,296 was written off in the last year including £1,948 for a Latvian patient who had treatment relating to alcohol abuse.

And at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Cannock and Stafford hospitals, there are two invoices outstanding totalling £3,423.