HEALTH tourists owe Basildon and Southend hospitals almost £1.5million, the Echo can reveal.

Latest figures show as of January 31 this year, 363 patients from outside the UK had failed to settle their bills after receiving treatment at Southend Hospital - owing a total of £939,848.

At Basildon Hospital £542,458 is still outstanding from 162 overseas patients.

The debts were revealed following a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Echo.

Denise Townsend, director of nursing at Southend Hospital, said: “Overseas patients tend to come to hospital requiring emergency treatment and in line with national policy they receive only that treatment there and then.

“Billing generally takes place as soon as possible but can be after the treatment has taken place.”

Ms Townsend added: “Where overseas patients do not pay initially they are subject to extensive debt recovery processes. However some are notoriously difficult debts to pursue and can take time to recover.

“Ultimately a number are not collectable and in these cases we also pass information on to the relevant government agency.”

The hospital refused to give further details about what treatment the patients received.

A Basildon Hospital spokesman said the trust was committed to ensuring it pursues all overseas debts and attempts to receive payments prior to discharge from hospital.

The deficit for the Mid and South Essex Success Regime hospitals - Southend, Basildon and Broomfield, in Chelmsford - was £101 million for 2015/16 alone. Increased demand on the hospitals means the debt rises by up to £104million every year.

Two of the region’s three A&E departments are set to be downgraded by the regime.

Lesley Joseph, 64, of Barbara Close, Rochford, is set to have a knee replacement operation at Southend Hospital next week after three cancelled appointments. She said: “You pay your taxes and then this happens. There is so much waste in the NHS of all sorts.

“If they change the way overseas patients are dealt with it might be better but the NHS has hit the buffers and is in crisis.”