Reeja, Basudev & Victor Mujakachi from the Justice for Simba Campaign, Solidarity Knows No Borders Summit, September 2023 (photographer: Sophie La Roux):
The #JusticeForOmisha campaign is one family and their community taking on the Home Office’s hostile environment immigration system and fighting for an NHS that is free to provide universal healthcare for all.
The Campaign
When Omisha Shrestha was just 10 months old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. She needed a liver transplant and several rounds of chemotherapy: the NHS saved her life. But Omisha’s local hospital sent her family a bill for £76,000 for her life-saving care. The hospital sent debt collectors, even though the family said they could not afford to pay.
Omisha was charged because of the Home Office’s hostile environment immigration system. In March 2023, her parents – Reeja and Basudev – alongside a community of local residents and health workers, launched the Justice for Omisha campaign to challenge border controls in the NHS and beyond. They are fighting to get the debt totally cancelled, for an end to hospitals using debt collectors, and for a truly universal NHS, free of all border controls and accessible to all – regardless of wealth or where you’re from.
Omisha holding a campaign poster, Ilford, June 2023. Taken during the campaign stall / flyering event.
It is an honour for our small campaign to be shortlisted. When we receive such support, we know that there are many people who stand with us against NHS charging and want to right the injustices of the hostile environment towards migrants and refugees. This recognition will help us to reach more people and raise awareness about the hostile environment and its effects. I also hope that this will encourage more people to share their stories and come forward, who are suffering in silence – we know that we are not alone when we organise for freedom, dignity and justice together.”
Reeja Shrestha
Omisha holding a campaign poster, Ilford, June 2023. Taken during the campaign stall / flyering event.
It is an honour for our small campaign to be shortlisted. When we receive such support, we know that there are many people who stand with us against NHS charging and want to right the injustices of the hostile environment towards migrants and refugees. This recognition will help us to reach more people and raise awareness about the hostile environment and its effects. I also hope that this will encourage more people to share their stories and come forward, who are suffering in silence – we know that we are not alone when we organise for freedom, dignity and justice together.”
Reeja Shrestha
The Change
The Justice for Omisha campaign has had some huge wins and is still ongoing.
- The community launched a petition that now has over 10,000 signatures! This helped to bring local press attention.
- Under this pressure, the CEO of the NHS Trust that charged Omisha agreed that it will no longer pursue Omisha’s family for the debt – he personally apologised for the harm and pledged that the hospital would review its charging policy.
- He gave the CEO and Financial Officer discretionary power to stop pursuing inappropriate debts. This is a big first step in preventing other families from being chased for debts they cannot repay, and in recognising the harm that the hostile environment in the NHS causes.
- Omisha and her sister Shreeya, who were both born in Britain, have received British citizenship after years of fighting to have their status recognised by the Home Office. Reeja and Basudev have received status too.
The Future
The Justice for Omisha campaign is continuing to grow this year, to connect with other families who have faced similar hostility, and to raise awareness about the impact of border controls in the NHS. The campaign group is building people power in East London and will continue to run campaign stalls, connect with health workers, meet with local power holders, teach migrant communities about their rights to healthcare, and speak out at events and in the media about the racism and hostility faced by migrant communities in Britain.
Who else was involved?
The campaign has grown thanks to the efforts of a community of dedicated, fearless and caring campaigners, supported by Migrants Organise and Medact. Groups involved include people from Newham London Save Our NHS, Waltham Forest Save Our NHS, Lewisham Refugee & Migrant Network, and Hackney Patients Not Passports. The entire Patients Not Passports network – a community of campaigners fighting for an NHS free for all – has been vital in connecting with health workers and sharing the campaign nationally. The Justice for Simba campaign and the Solidarity Knows No Borders Network have provided a huge amount of inspiration: seeing how networks of organised and powerful migrant communities can win against the hostile environment.
If you want to get more involved in the campaign, email [email protected], sign the campaign petition at www.change.org/justiceforomisha, or you can find out other ways to get involved for the fight for a truly universal NHS at www.patientsnotpassports.co.uk/join
