Melissa D Smith | My partner Simba suffered a stroke…that left him in a coma and paralysed on his left side. When he woke up, his hospital in Sheffield presented him with a bill for £93,000 for the life-saving treatment he had been given.
Simba has lived in the UK for most of his life, but because of his immigration status he is being charged for his NHS care.
Our local community in Sheffield have launched the Justice for Simba campaign. Together, we are calling for:
- All of Simba’s debt to be written off, and Sheffield Trust to oppose charging for migrants
- The Home Office to grant him refugee status
- An end to all NHS charging
Simba’s family moved to the UK from Zimbabwe in 2004. In 2009 his dad Victor had to apply for asylum after his criticism of Robert Mugabe’s government led to a warrant being issued for his arrest. When Simba turned 18, he applied for asylum himself but his claim was unjustly refused. All of Simba’s family has been fighting for many years to have their right to asylum recognised.
Please sign the petition to support Simba!
It’s likely Simba would not have had a stroke if he had been able to access the NHS services he needed. He was known to have a blood clotting condition and had been receiving treatment, but after his first few appointments, Simba got a call from the finance department demanding payment of over £6000 for his treatment.
The hospital was forced to make Simba pay upfront for his appointments – policies being enforced by the Home Office. He could not afford it. He did not see his specialist team for months, when he suddenly had a stroke and was taken to A&E. It was then that we received his bill for £93,000, for the life-saving treatment he received.
We are worried about Simba’s life, and we are determined to bring justice and dignity for him. Please help us by signing and sharing this petition as widely as possible. CLICK HERE TO SIGN THIS PETITION