MPs spark HIV refugee row

The row over "NHS tourism" deepened today after MPs called on health chiefs to offer all HIV-positive asylum seekers free treatment.

Backbenchers say refugees with the virus should be released from detention centres to undergo medical care while their applications for residence are considered.

In a controversial report published today, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Aids will advocate a more sympathetic approach - and reject calls for mandatory testing upon entry.

But critics fear widening access to HIV treatment for refugees will place an unbearable strain on the NHS.