“This really outraged me. I worked alongside Fijians during my service. I had no idea that they would have to jump through these hoops,” he said. “It is despicable that he has had to pay these medical bills after a decade in the army. I was appalled and many people were equally appalled. The government should listen very carefully.”

He called for visa fees for Commonwealth veterans to be abolished, and for indefinite leave to remain to be granted automatically to veterans, after four years of service.

Supporters still hope that NHS England and the Department of Health will review the decision to classify Ratacaucau as an overseas patient and charge him for treatment. In that scenario, organisers of the crowdfunding initiatives will discuss how best to use the funds raised.

“We are overwhelmed by the support from the general public. We can’t thank everyone for their generosity and sense of justice in trying to bring this to the spotlight,” Esita Tuimanu, the co-founder of Commonwealth Neglected Veterans, which has been supporting Ratucaucau during his hospitalisation, said. “With their ongoing support, we hope that justice will prevail for these veterans.”

Although Commonwealth veterans have the right to remain in the UK once they have served for four years, they must apply for this status, and the Home Office application process is expensive and complex. Those who have been unable to afford the visa fees have been categorised as illegal immigrants, unable to access free NHS treatment, facing unemployment and homelessness and fearing deportation. 

A government spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on the individual case because of ongoing legal proceedings.”