THE NHS is owed £252million by foreign patients from the last three years alone, figures show.
Research by the Policy Exchange think-tank indicates hospitals recovered only 39 per cent of the £384million due in treatment fees from 2021 to 2024.
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And the group called for more transparent data and tougher penalties for bosses who write off huge sums.
Patients who do not live in the UK must pay for their care — but they do not have to fork out in advance in urgent cases.
And the study found some hospitals routinely fail to collect after discharge.
Ex-Health Secretary Sir Sajid Javid said: “The NHS is not an international aid organisation.
“It is funded by British taxpayers, for British taxpayers. The rules must be enforced.”
Patients from overseas can be charged from £100 for an outpatient appointment to more than £20,000 for major surgery.
Immigrants applying for visas must pay a surcharge of up to £1,000 a year to get NHS coverage.
But the report quoted staff who felt uncomfortable demanding payment.
One confessed: “You just conveniently forget, or the form gets lost.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned wasteful NHS bosses there was “nowhere to hide” after The Sun on Sunday revealed three in four hospitals in England is in debt.
An NHS spokesman yesterday said: “More money has been recovered so far this year compared to previous years but we are determined to go further.”
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