In The Press

After a six week delay, an Ethiopian national has begun her urgent cancer treatment on the NHS. Her chemotherapy for ‘metastatic breast cancer in her abdomen and bone cancer in her spine’ was delayed because the Home Office advised the treating hospital that she was not eligible for NHS care unless she could pay in advance. Ms Mulat fled Ethiopia due to a fear of persecution. She arrived in Greece in 2013 where she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, before seeking asylum in the UK in July 2015. Under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act she was given free NHS healthcare and a weekly support allowance. This was revoked in February of this year when her asylum claim was refused. On 25 April, Ms Mulat submitted further evidence to the Home Office, which warned that she would be at risk of imprisonment were she to return to Ethiopia. She is now receiving the treatment that she needs but the reason for this change in position of the Home Office and the Hospital is not clear. She is represented by Jeremy Bloom, of the Public Law department at Duncan Lewis. He states: “We are delighted that our client will be receiving the life-saving cancer treatment that she so urgently needs, but it is shocking this treatment was delayed by nearly six weeks.”