NHS

For those who don't know, my wife has been ill, it started about 6 weeks ago and she has been in constant pain since then. In 6 weeks all they managed to do was rule out heilicobactor, appendicitis, ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancy. The last 3 were ruled out in the first day. The big slap in the face was when her appointment to see a specialist came through, in April. It was considered quite appropriate to take a woman in her 20s and have her sit for what would be 12 weeks before a diagnosis was even reached. We enquired down the private route and found we could see a specialist that day. Thing is, it was the same guy that we'd have waited 8 weeks to see on the NHS, so effectively a £200 bribe allowed us to jump the Queue. While it worked for us it sickens me because we now have a heath service where the quality and speed of treatment is dependant on your ability to pay.

I'm trying to work out when this happened. I remember when the Tories first introduced Private health, it was very specifically aimed at getting a room on your own or nicer food. AT no point was queue jumping on the cards. In the years between then and now there has been a slow erosion of the NHS. First private companies were allowed to build hospitals, yes the NHS can use them in a pinch. The excuse for this was to provide the nicer rooms/food, and for superfluous cosmetic surgery that was taking off. Now, however these hospitals tie up specialists and doctors with the lure of greater financial rewards. Frankly the private health industry is now a parasite sucking life from the NHS. How do politicians deal with this. Well, a labour health spokesman decided that free health for all was probably unrealistic. Effectively saying there should be a basic free system for poor people and the beleaguered middle classes should be bankrupted with heath insurance. The tories meanwhile suggested that Private patients pay less tax as they don't use NHS facilities, which is even more baffling, as I'm not sure how this would provide more income to the NHS.

Free, good quality helth care is not only possible, it is essential. How is it possible, well most of Eurpoe has free health care of superior quality to our own, and the most embarasing, Cuba has a very good free health system despite being technically a third world country.

My solution, and it would be unpopular with those who get large amounts of money from private health insurance and running private practices, is to return the private sector to only non NHS cosmetic procedures and perhaps the nicer, private rooms. However private firms could not employ specialists, doctors or consultants. All of those would be hired from the NHS at a going rate. Furthermore NHS work would always take priority. It would be the only way to stop those who can pay jumping queues.

What I'll actualy be doing, is probably investing in some private health insurance, although is raises my hackles to do so.