Asylum seekers ruling is necessary

I feel that the recent ruling by the Health Minister Edwina Hart to allow unsuccesful asylum seekers access to free healthcare is both necessary and progressive. Helping disadvantaged people in this case is a very brave thing to do, especially when the political debate around the issue will predictably be dominated by misguided and prejudiced fears about "health tourism" and the alleged (but unfounded) strain that asylum seekers put on public services.

It's inevitable that some people on the right will present this ruling as evidence that we in Wales are being "too soft" on asylum seekers, or that Welsh people will have less priority than foreigners. I would counter this by arguing that the number of unsuccesful asylum seekers in Wales, in all probability, is in the hundreds, not the thousands, and that in any case most of these people will not even need healthcare. Nobody will be rushed to the front of the queue, and this ruling is simply about fairness and humanity.