The English are very proud of their medical system. When the Republicans (in response to Obama's health plans) dared to criticise the British system recently, it provoked a flood of outrage in the press, as Brits rose to defend their health system. Even Gordon Brown twittered in outrage.
The health system in Britain is, of course, free. But as with most things, you get what you pay for.
The health system in Britain is, of course, free. But as with most things, you get what you pay for.
I'm all for free healthcare for those who otherwise couldn't afford it. But here, even those who can afford it are frequently forced to rely on the NHS. I have private health insurance in the UK. But no private health insurance covers the cost of private GPs, meaning I usually have to see an NHS GP. While I can pay the princely £60 for a consultation with a private GP, if I then get a prescription from said private GP, I have to pay the full price of the prescription (rather than the heavily subsidised price I would pay if I were prescribed the same drug by an NHS GP). The end result is that it's not affordable for me to go to a private GP. Instead I am stuck with my local GP.
To make matters worse, I don't even have free choice over my GP. I have to use one in my catchment area. My local GP clinic is plastered with signs warning patients not to abuse doctors. The receptionists are behind protective plexiglass, to prevent assaults from patients. It's just your standard NHS clinic in an area where, amongst the nice flats, you have a lot of not-very-nice housing estates.
I may be biased, but I rather like the Australian system, which seems to offer the best of both worlds: free healthcare for those who can't afford to pay for it while those who can afford private healthcare are (through tax penalties) effectively forced to go private. But even those of us who have private healthcare do not find ourselves in an exclusively private system: the government still subsidises medicines (regardless of who's prescribed them) and will contribute towards the cost of you seeing a non-bulk billing (ie private) GP.
So, why the rant about healthcare? Because I'm ill. Now, I admit that I'm not ill with anything serious (I hope), but rather am finding this winter that my body has been continually under attack from every cold or flu bug that happens to come within a 1 mile radius of me. Indeed, sometimes I am not even aware of having been exposed to the enemy bug before I find myself doubled over, coughing, spluttering and with a fever. I've had enough.
The thought, however, of going into my (no doubt) germ-infested local NHS clinic, and having to take a good couple of hours (including travel time) out of a work day to do so, fills me with horror. Thankfully, because this feeling is not uncommon, work provides a private GP who comes to the office once a month. Work pays the cost of the consultation and I avoid the time, effort and pain of seeing my local GP.
So, I make an appointment and at the designated time wander into the first aid room. I am coughing and spluttering as I sit in the chair opposite the man wearing a reassuringly conservative white coat.
"Hmmm, that's a nasty cold you have there", he says.
"yes, that's why I'm here, actually. Since about August of last year I've been constantly sick. One cold or flu after another."
"I'm interested to know what you think I can do about that" he replies, looking genuinely perplexed.
I explain that I'm concerned about the possibility I have something fundamentally wrong with me; that there's some constitutional problem giving rise to my plague of ill health.
"well, how would I know if there's something wrong with you?!" he responds. "I could do some tests, but I don't think it's worth it. It doesn't sound like you're dying. You're probably just unlucky. And I hear an accent - are you an Antipodean?"
"yes, Australian".
"Ah, that's probably it then. You're just not used to these winters".
"I have been here for 3 and a half years now ..."
"Oh, well I don't know then".
At that point I started to look around the room, almost expecting to see some hidden cameras, and for someone to leap out from the curtains and proclaim the entire situation some bizarre joke. But no, there was nothing. I just left the room, coughing, and went back to my desk.
As I said earlier, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
Postscript: After reading this blog, G has sent me a link to what he says is a very good article about the benefits of the Australian system (right at the end of the article, apparently). I haven't read it yet, but post it here confident that a published article by someone in the New York Times will express the sentiment far better than I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment