By a thisiscostablanca correspondent
British expats living on the Costa Blanca who may well feel they are entitled to free NHS care in Britain are coming up against newly-introduced restrictions. They are either being refused access to the system or face paying for it.

Britons in Spain who spend less than six months in the UK are denied free access to state hospitals and GPs under regulations implemented on April 1. However, emergency care on the NHS remains open in and free of charge in all cases.

Critics say the British expat community on the Costa Blanca are the unwitting victims of a Government crackdown on asylum seekers and people from Aids-ravaged counties exploiting UK's "open door" health service.

The apparent unfairness of refusing care to a Briton who pays taxes to the Chancellor all his life, retires to Alicante but cannot return for cataract surgery has prompted speculation that doctors won't bother to check a patient's credentials.

There is a mixed response from doctors in the UK.  Some are sticking to the letter of the law and other are putting the Hippocratic Oath before the Health Minister, John Reid’s instructions.

Mr Reid's aim is to make the NHS "a British service for people who live in Britain." Doctors appear divided as to how much support they will give.

Health insurance advisers say that although some British expats might buck the system and get care to which they are not entitled, a safer option is to take medical cover. This should include a repatriation benefit so that surgery can be done privately in UK if the individual wants to be in a home setting with relatives at hand.