Good heavens above, those lovely Americans are at it again! So, we have an "evil" and "Orwellian" healthcare system, while across the pond everything is roses. Hmmm.
Anyone who has applied for med school will (or should!) know both sides of this debate - it forms part of a popular interview question. So, in short, the US system is based on private sector provision with the poor being treated by the state, although it is generally accepted that this state provided healthcare is far below the standards of our lovely NHS, which is free at the point of care to all citizens of the UK regardless of their financial status. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would be happier to be in a system that treated me according to my needs than according to my insurance coverage.
It's not perfect by any means... there are a lot of problems with funding, especially for certain drug treatments. There's also a lot of unnecessary wastage - perversely there is a fortune being lashed out to "consultants" (ie the non-doctor type) advising the management on how to save money! There is a problem with staffing (hands up anyone who is short-staffed this week?), and the gaps are being plugged by agency staff that cost three or four times as much as permanent staff. There is a problem with morale in a lot of hospitals, as frontline staff try to deal with an ever increasing workload in the face of shrinking resources and ever more impossible government targets. But, after 60 years, it is still holding true to its founding principles - a comprehensive heath service available to all, with treatment based on clinical need and free at the point of delivery.
Now I've heard a lot of tosh spoken today about "shiny private hospitals". Yes, the bricks and mortar are jolly nice, but have you seen some of these lovely new PFI-built hospitals? And as for the people inside, the large majority are also NHS staff, or at least were trained by the NHS. The point is that in this country, "going private" in most cases means moving up the list, rather than receiving significantly different treatment, and even then, you will not be put ahead of those in most need of attention. Yes, you might get a nice en-suite room to yourself in a private hospital, the nurses might smile a bit more, the view might be a bit better out of your window, but the fact remains that if it all goes horribly wrong the NHS will be there to put you back together again, and that makes me very proud to be a part of it.
And if you don't believe me, ask an American: http://tinyurl.com/lf2ywm
RESULTS :D
14 years ago
Excellent post. As a friend of mine said earlier he would "like to tell Republicans in America to stop telling lies about the NHS. Is the system perfect? No but to call the NHS orwellian when the Patriot Act was the greatest work of doublespeak since 1984 was written is on your statute books and you dare to call the NHS orwellian? Stop breaking article 29 of the UN deceleration on Human Rights and give your people free healthcare!"
ReplyDeleteI think the NHS do us proud. The culture of blame needs to disappear. I saw today an article saying a boy drowned on a beach whilst lifeguards 'enjoyed their lunch'. I didn't read the article but I was so annoyed. Yes there are probably flaws in the system, and maybe a lifeguard should have been covering for whoever was having lunch, but surely we shouldn't be happy to accept media published blaming people for having lunch, or making a mistake in the delivery of care or treatment. Some practices need exposing, but whilst we have media willing to stir up public outrage for genuine mistakes it will see perfectly decent people losing their jobs, careers, lives and it shouldn't be allowed. NHS staff are hard working, generally underpaid, overworked and under resourced. It's time they got praise and support rather than being slated continuously!