THE Island is, as we know, eager to attract more tourists, but they must be the right sort of tourists.

This does not mean that we shall welcome only the very well-heeled or, perish the thought, try to discriminate against races, creeds or classes. It does, however, mean that we must put an end to a practice called ‘health tourism’.

This involves people from other jurisdictions travelling to the Island in the knowledge that all they have to do is turn up at the General Hospital to be treated for chronic conditions ranging from kidney disease to HIV infection. The Jersey taxpayer then picks up the bill for their treatment. In the case of serious conditions which might require anything from courses of hugely expensive drugs to organ transplants, the costs can be immense.

The chief executive of Health and Social Services, Mike Pollard, has acknowledged that those exploiting the excellence and openness of our medical facilities either cynically or in desperation now represent a serious problem. Ethics and common humanity prevent people being turned away, but the price of meeting this particular demand for services is growing. The trend is even preventing Islanders from receiving timely treatment.

As Mr Pollard has said, action must be taken. We have no interest in depriving visitors who fall ill here of any attention that they might need. That said, resources are scarce — perhaps increasingly so — and we simply cannot afford to provide care for those who arrive with the intention of exploiting the system. As Mr Pollard and politicians will realise, we cannot simply bundle those we suspect of playing the system on to a plane and send them back where they came from. Nevertheless, some form of vetting procedure must be devised with the aim of providing care that is needed immediately while preventing the possibility of the long-term sick who are not legitimate residents becoming long-term burdens on our services.

This is easier said than done, but at a time when the whole healthcare relationship between the Island and the UK is being reappraised, the time is ripe for a solution.