UK has the worst hospitals in Europe?

You can have choice that is what is important.....

The NHS is fundamental in any society..

[gmc]

Originally Posted by QUINNSCOMMENTARY

The UK health care system is being drawn into the raging debate in the US.

Here is text from an article that recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Having never been to the UK (except a stop at Heathrow), I have no idea what he is talking about, but it doesn't sound good.

For those of you with firsthand knowledge, what do you think?

"Not coincidentally, the U.K. is by far the most unpleasant country in which to be ill in the Western world. Even Greeks living in Britain return home for medical treatment if they are physically able to do so.

The government-run health-care system—which in the U.K. is believed to be the necessary institutional corollary to an inalienable right to health care—has pauperized the entire population. This is not to say that in every last case the treatment is bad: A pauper may be well or badly treated, according to the inclination, temperament and abilities of those providing the treatment. But a pauper must accept what he is given.

Universality is closely allied as an ideal, ideologically, to that of equality. But equality is not desirable in itself. To provide everyone with the same bad quality of care would satisfy the demand for equality. (Not coincidentally, British survival rates for cancer and heart disease are much below those of other European countries, where patients need to make at least some payment for their care.)

In any case, the universality of government health care in pursuance of the abstract right to it in Britain has not ensured equality. After 60 years of universal health care, free at the point of usage and funded by taxation, inequalities between the richest and poorest sections of the population have not been reduced. But Britain does have the dirtiest, most broken-down hospitals in Europe.

There is no right to health care—any more than there is a right to chicken Kiev every second Thursday of the month.

Theodore Dalrymple is the pen name of Anthony Daniels, a British physician. He is a contributing editor to the City Journal. "

For those of you with firsthand knowledge, what do you think?

Bollocks, poppycock, piffle, coswallop, havers, nonsense, gobbledegook

It's a load of bollocks. No one would claim our system is by any means perfect but many are getting annoyed at the ridiculous claims being made about the NHS in the american media. Why on earth bring us in to it?

The claim that has really sparked it is one made in Investor’s Business Daily that stephen hawkins-who was receiving an award from president obama this week-
that

'

People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.'

At best it is breathtaking ignorance-they were unaware that he is british and has lived and worked in the UK all his life and has been treated by the NHS all his life and still is being treated by the NHS- at worst it is a deliberate lie. Even the man himself has been drawn in to it.

I owe my life to the NHS': Stephen Hawking tells US to stop attacking health service

Read more: NHS branded 'evil' and 'Orwellian' by high-level US politicians | Mail Online

Quite frankly you have little to be smug about


BBC NEWS | Health | Healthcare around the world

What we find shocking about america is that someone can be refused treatment if they don't have insurance or that people have to bankrupt themselves in order to pay for the care of relatives.

It's easy to pick areas or instances where things have gone wrong-there are a lot of issues and arguments about how and what should be provided and the quality of care can vary considerably- and yes it does cost a lot-but not nearly as much per head as yours does it seems. But in the UK people who wish to move away from the basic principle behind the NHS are very much on the lunatic fringe of british politics.

[QUINNSCOMMENTARY]

I hear a lot about "free" health care and while it may be free at the point of service, we all know there is a cost. What does this program really cost the UK citizens and does anyone care what it costs?

[QUINNSCOMMENTARY]

Originally Posted by Joseph

You can have choice that is what is important.....

The NHS is fundamental in any society..

What kind of choice are you referring to?

[Snowfire]

Originally Posted by QUINNSCOMMENTARY

I hear a lot about "free" health care and while it may be free at the point of service, we all know there is a cost. What does this program really cost the UK citizens and does anyone care what it costs?

Well, there's your answer. "free at the point of service". It's payed for by our taxes.

If you are unlucky enough to get seriously ill during your life, you will need hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of consultancy and treatment. None of which is chargeable to the patient because it is "free at the point of source" and EVERYBODY is entitled, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.

Try taking the NHS away from us and you'd have one mother of all battles

[OpenMind]

Barack Obama's stepmother: I owe my life to the NHS - Telegraph
Obama's stepmother thinks it's a great service.
On the other hand, when I had a heart attack in 2004, I was taken into hospital and told they had to test for enzymes released by the heart after a heart attack. the test had to be done 12 hours later. 12 hours later and no one came to take the test. Apparently, there were no doctors.
In the end I discharged myself after being lectured about quality of life. So where are the doctors, I said, and if I don't earn any money, I won't have quality of life anyway.

[AussiePam]

My older daughter became very ill in the UK after the birth of her son - (she has dual English / Australian citizenship). The NHS gave her and her baby the absolute best care, immediate and complete. When she was discharged, that was it.

I've also been present during a life threatening emergency in America where paramedics had to call three hospitals before they could find somewhere to take the barely breathing patient, who was an American citizen, had double pneumonia and hadn't been able to afford health insurance. Last heard, the debt collectors were still phoning during the night.

America needs to find its own solution here, suitable to the needs, expectations and perceptions of its own citizens. Misinformation and propoganda about other systems are unhelpful.

[oscar]

Originally Posted by AussiePam

My older daughter became very ill in the UK after the birth of her son - (she has dual English / Australian citizenship). The NHS gave her and her baby the absolute best care, immediate and complete. When she was discharged, that was it.

I've also been present during a life threatening emergency in America where paramedics had to call three hospitals before they could find somewhere to take the barely breathing patient, who was an American citizen, had double pneumonia and hadn't been able to afford health insurance. Last heard, the debt collectors were still phoning during the night.

America needs to find its own solution here, suitable to the needs, expectations and perceptions of its own citizens. Misinformation and propoganda about other systems are unhelpful.

Thankyou Pam.

[oscar]

Originally Posted by QUINNSCOMMENTARY

The UK health care system is being drawn into the raging debate in the US.

"[/b]

Isn't this just a large dose of penis envy on your part?

Get your own health care system perfectionised and then critisize ours.

Good god, I've just read about a poor girl who was being bullied because she had no eyelashes. Our NHS just gave her a PIONEERING eyelash transplant. How much would her parents have had to sell their home for in order for her to have that in the US.?

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by QUINNSCOMMENTARY

I hear a lot about "free" health care and while it may be free at the point of service, we all know there is a cost. What does this program really cost the UK citizens and does anyone care what it costs?

It costs about 8% of our GDP - how much does the US system cost? As I understand it, about 18% of your GDP.

The quote in the original post was one of the most biased and deliberately misleading pieces of politically inspired spin it has been my misfortune to read and bears little, if any, connection with reality.