TY - JOUR T1 - Asylum seekers, refugees, and the politics of access to health care: a UK perspective JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 765 LP - 772 DO - 10.3399/bjgp09X472539 VL - 59 IS - 567 AU - Keith Taylor Y1 - 2009/10/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/59/567/765.abstract N2 - The UK government has recently consulted on proposals to prohibit access to health care for some asylum seekers. This discussion paper considers the wider ethical, moral, and political issues that may arise from this policy. In particular, it explores the relationship between immigration and health and examines the impact of forced migration on health inequalities. It will be argued that it is both unethical and iniquitous to use health policy as a means of enforcing immigration policy. Instead, the founding principle of the NHS of equal access on the basis of need should be borne in mind when considering how to meet the needs of this population. ER -