illegal aliens and medicine

[sepultallica]

nhs?

[Sayonara]

"National Health Service".

 

Basically what you described, only real

[sepultallica]

do you think it could work though?

[greg1917]

the NHS could work very well if

 

a) Politicians stopped using waiting lists as a rod to beat their opponents back with

 

b) Politicians stopped throwing red tape at doctors like fragmentation grenades

 

c) Politicians actually listened to nurses complaints about pay and working conditions

 

d) Politicians took action over drunken idiots who assualt nurses and doctors then complain when they dont get medical care

 

e) Politicians address the serious shortage of nurses in training

 

f) Politicians stop labelling hospitals with crude league table systems in an attempt to win votes in areas which the party is losing its seat

 

g) People like me didnt smoke from a young age, drink in binge sessions and lead a generally unhealthy lifestyle. Im sure politicians are somehow at fault for this as well.

[sepultallica]

is it that bad of a problem in europe? i'm in the US and i have never heard of such instances of behavior in hospitals. i can see how politicians could abuse this system and use it as leverage.

[Dave]

On the whole the NHS is a brilliant concept, but unfortunately it definately doesn't receive enough funding, and what funding it does receive is split over a very large area of medical services.

 

On top of that, the infrastructure of this country is just falling apart anyway since there's far too many people, far too many short term bodge jobs by the government and not enough space.

 

Having said all of this, someone I've known since I was born got told about 6 months ago that he'd got Hodgkin's disease (lymphomatic cancer) and he's received outstanding treatment off of the NHS. So it's not all bad.

[sepultallica]

is funding the problem in the UK? how hands on is the government there? do they have complete control? if i'm not mistaken, the medical field is highly profitable in the US.

[Glider]

Funding is a problem. It's not so much that there isn't the money, it's that what money there is is being misdirected and wasted (e.g. a large police undercover op. was just thrown out of court, the judge having slammed the police for several 'illegal actions'. This cost the taxpayer £25, 000,000). The government is very hands on, and in the opinions of most doctors, this is a principal cause of the problem. This government is fixated on 'targets' (unrealistic in many cases). Whilst some hospitals have achieved these targets, they have had to redirect staff, from what they should be doing, to the 'target' problem. Also many have had to shut beds to reach these 'targets'. There are now something like 1.3 managers per open bed in the NHS. There aren't that many nurses!

 

Most doctors here believe the best thing the government could do for the NHS would be to leave it alone, and concentrate on not pi**ing taxpayers money up the wall with pointless schemes designed only to make the government look good.

 

The medical field is profitable only in private practice. However, the profit margin is reducing exponentially as doctors are confronted with more and more litegous patients (and more and more spurious claims and complaints, encouraged by 'no-win-no-fee' lawyers). The insurance premiums medics have to pay to cover their practice now costs so much that many can't afford it, and are leaving medicine. The practice of law, however, remains profitable.

[sepultallica]

Originally posted by Glider

The medical field is profitable only in private practice. However, the profit margin is reducing exponentially as doctors are confronted with more and more litegous patients (and more and more spurious claims and complaints, encouraged by 'no-win-no-fee' lawyers). The insurance premiums medics have to pay to cover their practice now costs so much that many can't afford it, and are leaving medicine. The practice of law, however, remains profitable.

 

you're in a whole other ball park when it comes to sueing the government. they can do what they want.

[Glider]

It would appear so. The irony is that whilst whoever tried to sue the government would have to pay a fortune to lawers to bring the action, the government would use our money to pay for their defence. Moreover, if the government lost, who do you think would pay?

[sepultallica]

don't matter what happens, you get screwed anyway you look at it.

[sepultallica]

must be good to be the gumment.