UK Government announces interim European healthcare arrangement

Following a long campaign by our friends at Kidney Care UK, the UK Government has announced an interim arrangement for UK residents to receive cover for life-sustaining treatment when they travel to the EU after 1 January 2021 if a deal for reciprocal healthcare is not reached by then. This includes dialysis treatment, equipment and medication normally given during dialysis, such as tubing, needles, and drugs.

Fiona Loud, Policy Director for Kidney Care UK, said; “For the last four years Kidney Care UK has been campaigning to raise awareness of the impact on kidney patients when we leave the EU, including the importance of the freedom to travel if you are on dialysis. We welcome the recognition of the needs of kidney patients on dialysis.  The ability for patients and their families to be able to travel in Europe is greatly valued. Patients need hope and have told us, time after time, that having a break means the world to them; now the vaccination programme has started this is something to look forward to. We welcome this move for patients and the reassurance it gives, but need arrangements to be made so people don’t have to pay in advance. We still want to see formal reciprocal healthcare agreements being reached during 2021”.

Read the full press release here: https://www.kidneycareuk.org/news-and-campaigns/news/government-announces-interim-european-healthcare-arrangement/