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My NHS experience …. The healthcare issue
September 27th, 2009
As the debate about healthcare in the US continues, and with the UK’s NHS (the UK’s free medical service, available to all) in the spotlight, I happened to spend some time yesterday at the Charing Cross Hospital, a large NHS hospital in Central London.
I don’t have much experience of hospitals as up to now I have luckily remained fairly healthy, so it was all a new experience to me. Last week I ran a 10km run along the Thames and pulled a muscle towards the end.
I ignored the muscle pain but my leg got worse by the day, so eventually yesterday I decided to limp into the nearest A+E centre (Accident and Emergency).
There were lots of positives.
Smiling staff. A clean waiting room.
I was welcomed immediately by the receptionist and was seen by a doctor within 10 minutes. I was told that as it was busy I may have to wait up to 2 hours to get treated. As my problem was hardly life-threatening, I couldn’t complain.
In the waiting room there were all types – someone had fallen down the stairs at work, another had fallen off some scaffolding. A handcuffed prisoner was brought in by 3 policemen. An Eastern European woman rushed in with an unconscious baby and was immediately rushed to the Emergency Room. Someone came in with swine flu. A very well spoken elderly woman was helped in by a nurse. I recognised an elderly man who looked very similar to an actor from a previous age. Maybe he was the actor.
I was really fascinated. This was the NHS at work. Free for everyone
A young South African couple came in and said they needed to see a doctor quickly and were told to wait a few minutes. They asked if they had to pay anything, and were told ‘no’. They came back to the desk a minute later to say that they didn’t live in the UK and surely they must pay something. ‘No’ they were told, ‘it’s totally free’. They couldn’t believe it.
My two hours wait came to an end. By this time I was rather enjoying the play that was being staged around me, but I couldn’t stay there all day, so I went to have my leg treated.
Once the doctor had treated my leg and assured me I would survive a while longer, he went out of the room and returned with some brand new crutches, still in their plastic wrapper.
‘Do I have to sign for these? Maybe pay a deposit?’, I asked. ‘No’ replied the doctor, ‘they’re free. Try to bring them back afterwards as we give out over 400 pairs a week’….
My shiny new crutches must have cost at least £60 ($100).
400 a week is £24,000 ($40,000).
That’s £1,250,000 a year ($2,000,000). For just one hospital.
On crutches. That they don’t get back.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe the NHS is doing a great job. But the waste is excessive.
If the NHS was a business it would be bankrupt by now.