UK's state funded-health service, the NHS is planning to offer free of cost HIV treatment to foreign visitors to the UK for the first time.

MP's are supporting the plan to provide treatment to non-UK residents within the NHS to protect the wider public in the country. Groups including foreign students and workers as well as the victims of human trafficking networks are expected to benefit from the move.

The Department of Health has affirmed that new safeguards will be in place to prevent the service from being misused under health tourism. The NHS only provides treatment for HIV to the official residents of the UK.

Lord Fowler, a former Conservative Cabinet minister has said that there should be free treatment for HIV for people who have been in the UK for six months. The proposal will be accepted by the Government and will be introduced in a Statutory Instrument.

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said, "This measure will protect the public and brings HIV treatment in to line with all other infectious diseases. Treating people with HIV means they are very unlikely to pass the infection on to others. Tough guidance will ensure this measure is not abused."