London, Mar 3: The Indian government's proposal to allow patients from the UK to travel to India for non-emergency surgery at their government's expense is facing opposition in London.

British citizens are currently allowed to travel anywhere within Europe for treatment - a maximum of three hours' flight time - at government expense. Travel for treatment beyond three hours time is not underwritten by the NHS.

Currently many Britons who fly to India for medical treatment do so at their own cost. They travel to India to avoid long queues for treatment on the National Health Service (NHS), and take advantage of low costs in India.

Indian health minister Anbumani Ramadoss proposed to the Department of Health recently that British patients could avail of cheaper and high quality treatment in India if the stipulation of three hours' flight time were lifted.

The minister said after the meeting "We have requested that the flying limit may be lifted. In today's globalised world, there is not much difference between three hours and seven-and-a-half hours flying."

The Department of Health has not decided on the issue, but news about the proposal has infuriated several Britons who see the NHS as a symbol of national pride, and oppose the idea of flying all the way to India for treatment at the taxpayer's expense.

Many Britons have strongly opposed the idea in letters to various local newspapers