10,000 Polish women get NHS abortions

Ten thousand Polish women had abortions in Britain last year, it has been reported, in procedures which are thought to have cost the NHS between 5million and 10m pounds. Thousands of the women are thought to have come to Britain specifically for the procedure, which is illegal in Poland. People coming to Britain as temporary workers are given a National Insurance number, which allows them to register with a doctor and have NHS treatment.

Britain is thought to be a particularly popular destination as terminations can be carried out as late as 24 weeks into a pregnancy. In several other EU countries, abortions can not be carried out after 12 weeks. A pill given to women under nine weeks pregnant costs the NHS about 500 pounds while an operation necessary for those further into pregnancy costs about 1,600 including after-care.

The figures were reportedly disclosed by the Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning. Aleksandra Jozefowska, a spokesman for the Federation, told The Sun: "On Polish internet sites you can find lots of information on how to obtain an abortion in Britain. And every week I have two or three phone calls from women who want to know about abortion in England."

One unnamed London doctor was reported to have told the newspaper: "As long as they get an NHS number, they haven't got a problem. They can say: 'I didn't know I was pregnant until I got here, I'm in an impossible situation and need help'."

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Australia: Is Victoria's ambulance service unfixable?

The complaints never seem to stop

Long delays for ambulance services are putting lives at risk, the Victorian ambulance union says. A log of 291 incidents from August to November showed dangerously slow response times, Ambulance Employees Association Victorian secretary Steve McGhie said. Ninety-six scheduled shifts failed to run on time during that period. In one case, an 89-year-old woman with severe chest pains was taken to hospital by car after waiting 23 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, Mr McGhie said.

"These figures show the ambulance service is failing the community,'' he said in a statement. "People's lives are being put at risk by slow response times and cancelled ambulances. "Paramedics are working massive hours to cover our over-stretched service, and when everyone else is with their friends and family at Christmas, this is their busiest time of the year.''

Mr McGhie said the only way to attract new people to the profession was to offer fair wages and 10-hour rest breaks. "The community needs to be extremely cautious over the holiday season, because this log shows the ambulance you need in a crisis simply may not be there.''

A spokesman for Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the State Government had committed 258 extra paramedics and provided $186 million to services during 2008.

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