Wales is taking a moral lead on asylum seekers' healthcare, says Archbishop

The Archbishop of Wales praised the Welsh Health Minister's decision last week to allow free health care for failed asylum seekers.

Dr Barry Morgan said he wholeheartedly supported Edwina Hart's view that Wales has a moral obligation to care for vulnerable people, regardless of their asylum status.

"Edwina Hart is to be applauded for enabling Wales to take a moral lead on healthcare for failed asylum seekers and she has my wholehearted support," he said. "It is simply the right thing to do. As a civilised society we have to act with compassion and humanity to those who look to us for help."

Dr Morgan added it was time people stopped seeing asylum seekers as pariahs and reminded them that many of the doctors and nurses working for the NHS today were themselves former asylum seekers.

"There is a tendency in Britain to see asylum seekers as pariahs and to resent them being here. But in reality these are people in desperate need and we have a moral obligation to help them," he said.

"It is also worth remembering that many of the doctors and nurses working in the NHS today were themselves former asylum seekers. So it is sadly ironic that while we are happy to be treated by them there are still those who object to them receiving treatment."

Dr Morgan said he hoped Hart's decision would "help change such attitudes towards asylum seekers".