[meenu89]

Yes, it has been there for some members of my family but it can be better.

[RadioHawk]

AAAAH so much writing
I like the NHS, everytime i've needed care (very few times albeit) it's been great
Meningitis- sorted
Car accident- Out in an hour
Did however have 1 doctor i found hard to understand their thick accent

EDIT: just remembered never been very pleased with the physio, me, my dad and sister have at some point required it and it's just been rediculously bad

[muddywaters51]

As I said you dont have to answer any of the questions and you dont have to answer them all. This is just for my interest. Im not suggesting anything by asking these questions either.

I am not American to answer those who asked.

I am torn as to whether I think universal healthcare should exist, probably edging towards "no" slightly.

- Is healthcare a human right?

Personally I do not believe it is a human right. I do not believe goods and services are human rights. As healthcare is a service I do not believe that it is a human right, just like I dont believe other services are human rights.

[PrismaticCore]

(Original post by Booyah)
x

As a potential doctor speaking to another potential doctor: A lot of people aren't born lucky like you. It's hard to just 'find a job' and you'll find that a lot of people who are 'scrounging' off the street don't seem able to find a source of income. Who's fault is that? I don't know.

But please have the compassion to realise that some of these people who are living off your parents' taxes haven't had easy lives and haven't had the opportunities to get good jobs. Otherwise, you're going to get frustrated at your own patients in the future. Sure, I don't condone scrounging off the council, but what if that's all there is/was? And what's the point in doing charity work or w.e when it doesn't give them money to feed their kids? I mean sure, it's 'giving back to the community' but at the end of the day, they could be working hard to raise their own kids instead of just stacking shelves at a charity shop? I don't know.

I'm not sure I agree with your double standards. People turn to cigarettes because it makes them feel good and 'forget' just as you said about alcohol. In fact, that's basically the main reason why ANY drug is taken. Why do you have a zero tolerance towards smokers but find it ok that people drink themselves stupid? If anything, you should prefer that they 'smoke and ruin their lungs' as oppose to drink and ruin their livers, brains and pretty much their entire lives. No? And the same goes for your intolerance for Obesity after a certain 'level'. Do you think people who are obese become that way because they enjoy it/want to look that way? Do you think it's just them enjoying burgers and hating gyms? Or don't you think you should consider that one great side-effect to feeling depressed/traumatic life experiences is comfort eating? Why shouldn't they deserve the same compassion from you as the ones who 'drink to forget'?

But other than that I do agree with a lot of the points you have made.

[Booyah]

I do see where you are coming from and have never really thought of it that way, but I would be doing some sort of charity work if I was out of a job rather than sitting around doing nothing, idleness creates a lack of purpose and I have always stuck to that motto ever since I realised that my actions meant something to others, whether that was helping someone with maths as a fellow student as I am a maths prefect or helping at a retirement home.

There are currently benefits in place to support children through education and their family if they are not in work but this is kinda off topic... But I must mention that their children are in education, well I hope they are. So the school is caring for them for lets say at least 7 hours a day.

A lot of people who have started smoking is due to the fact it makes you look "cool" and hey I have done it and I can be blamed for doing it, but it doesn't take much to stop the filthy habit. Alcohol on the other hand I cannot stand people who suddenly change personalities when they are drunk, and in that sense I do not think that people who have got into a fight whilst drunk should be treated freely by the NHS (if they do) I do believe there was talk of attempting to charge disorderly patients in A&E, not to sure what happened to it but I believe it's a brilliant idea.

My intolerance for obesity is how people can look at themselves in the mirror and not do anything, when I reached 100kg last new years I said I would do something about it and I have, I now way around about 90kg not a lot less but it is a start, I do not see why others cannot do something about it, personally there is a problem in advancements of technology with children rather then going out playing on the Wii, Xbox etc. So schools should be doing more to promote PE more and maybe PE teachers should become more fierce...

And yes I have been extremely lucky, my parents are hard working and they deserve everything they have gotten, my father is not unknown to poverty from his background in India and hes worked his socks off ever since he was a child in India.

I do think I am a tad arrogant on some matters and that in the future I will have to sympathise with patients a bit more then I already do... a lot more to be honest, but there comes a point in the NHS system where some of the blame needs to go on the patient themselves and instead of the NHS treating them they should treat themselves, it is not the NHS's duty to give Gastric banding to every overweight Tom, Dick and Harry. Nor should it be the NHS's duty to be mopping up the broken noses of bar fights or clearing a cancerous growth of someones lungs who thought it was cool to smoke when they were 14.

[PrismaticCore]

Well of course you'd enjoy humbling tasks like that, you want to be a doctor, but don't you think someone whose life is hard enough wouldn't really feel the thrill of altruism when they're spending their time helping those who, financially, are far far far more comfortable than them. Put yourself in their shoes, they don't have a stunning future and rich parents to keep them happy every day, they have their weekly/monthly benefits and too many mouths to feed at home. How on earth can things seem like butterflies and daisies to them?

When it comes to drugs, where do you draw a line? What if you ended up with lung cancer after that one smoke or two? Would you deserve treatment? Also, I don't think you quite have a grasp on the fact that smoking is bloody addictive. If it was so easy to stop, don't you think people would? It's an expensive habit which only leads to a few 'feel goods' in a day. As for alcohol...So you're saying they shouldn't be treated? Or they should? Once again, where do you draw the line. Alcohol is a BIG thing in this country and so many people are hospitalised because of it. Who do we reject and who do we treat?

Your intolerance for obesity really angers me because I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't be that intolerant towards anorexics. No, anorexics deserve love and care and rehab to allow them to get past their mental illness and go back to a normal life. So why do people who are obese not get that? Yes, you were able to see that you had a problem, but that's because you're seemingly sane. Some people can't see it because it's an eating disorder!
And although I agree with your point regarding an increase in videogames affecting health, pressuring pupils into doing PE is counter productive. I /hated/ having to do PE for two hours a week every week from Year 7-12. I got nothing out of it apart from being bitched at by teachers and felt like I could've been doing something much more constructive with my time. I'm just saying that increasing PE hours a week would just be a silly and unfavourable idea.

[Booyah]

(Original post by PrismaticCore)
Well of course you'd enjoy humbling tasks like that, you want to be a doctor, but don't you think someone whose life is hard enough wouldn't really feel the thrill of altruism when they're spending their time helping those who, financially, are far far far more comfortable than them. Put yourself in their shoes, they don't have a stunning future and rich parents to keep them happy every day, they have their weekly/monthly benefits and too many mouths to feed at home. How on earth can things seem like butterflies and daisies to them?

When it comes to drugs, where do you draw a line? What if you ended up with lung cancer after that one smoke or two? Would you deserve treatment? Also, I don't think you quite have a grasp on the fact that smoking is bloody addictive. If it was so easy to stop, don't you think people would? It's an expensive habit which only leads to a few 'feel goods' in a day. As for alcohol...So you're saying they shouldn't be treated? Or they should? Once again, where do you draw the line. Alcohol is a BIG thing in this country and so many people are hospitalised because of it. Who do we reject and who do we treat?

Your intolerance for obesity really angers me because I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't be that intolerant towards anorexics. No, anorexics deserve love and care and rehab to allow them to get past their mental illness and go back to a normal life. So why do people who are obese not get that? Yes, you were able to see that you had a problem, but that's because you're seemingly sane. Some people can't see it because it's an eating disorder!
And although I agree with your point regarding an increase in videogames affecting health, pressuring pupils into doing PE is counter productive. I /hated/ having to do PE for two hours a week every week from Year 7-12. I got nothing out of it apart from being bitched at by teachers and felt like I could've been doing something much more constructive with my time. I'm just saying that increasing PE hours a week would just be a silly and unfavourable idea.

Not so much pressurising students into PE lessons but maybe doing what sixth former's do i.e. choosing what you want to do when we have Wednesday afternoon activities, so they can choose whether they want to play a sport they enjoy, i.e. basketball, rugby etc. But also an attempt to increase the number of children doing sport as part of the community, I myself take pride in teaching 12 year olds rugby when I can.

I do admit I was a bit firm handed on what I said about obesity, but as a nation we need to cut down on it along with any eating disorder, this might seem like a little dream scenario but I would like to see more people becoming active via the improvement of public services such as swimming pools, the only reason I do not use my public swimming pool is because it is as filthy as it can get and it's just awful. Another way is providing swimming lessons for children via the state, not compulsory but there would somehow be public funding made for instructor to teach children how to swim.

Trying to crack down adult obesity is a lot harder, and in a sense we all seem to get that much fatter the older we get as we start to slow down and stay in one place, as we can now drive, have no work or our work involves sitting down at a desk. I would be more than happy to help people lose weight as a doctor but I would not be happy pumping drugs down their throat so that their weight loss is forced. Rosalie Bradford is a woman who I admire after hearing her story of losing a lot of weight, but I cannot stand people who just will not do anything, maybe it is too late but I wouldn't give up, my hate of idleness would spur me on to better them.

Anorexia and Bulimia are eating disorders that inevitably end up with the loss of weight to a thin line between life and death, both of these have been caused by the media mostly, in a way I do not have as larger a problem with them as I do obesity, obesity can be overcome when the patient wants it to end and will do anything to end it, Anorecia and Bulimia have to be treated differently as they are more of a mental disease then obesity IMO, and one way of tackling this that will never happen is getting models who are larger to be posing in magazines than there are now, Marks and Spencers already do this, and instead of reading in top celebrity magazines about Keira Knightly being on some fab new 500KCal diet needs to be stopped. In a way prevention of any eating disorder is best to be done at the start as it is hard to stop an eating disorder instead of tackling it at an older age.

I do not enjoy smoking, I tried it and I hated it, it is a filthy habit that increases coronary heart disease, chances of cancer due to carcinogenic ingredients and in a way I do not see how it is addictive, although my brother smokes constantly. The only reason why I am so harsh about smoking is the waste of life that it causes, my father (my prime example as always) was a smoker untill he was told by doctors that he would have to be stented (had to have little tubes put within blood vessels to prevent flow restrictions), he immediately stopped smoking, sure he had withdrawal symptoms but still he showed perseverance with the matter, I do not understand how people can get into such a state now that studies are showing that smoking reduces life span, causes cancer but also a pass time that makes your breath stink awfully and causes an awful yellow tinge to your hands.

Drugs are easy to get hooked up to and I agree in the need to rehabilitate rather then send offenders off to prison (except for the drug dealers of course). The victims of drug dealing are always the men and women buying, drug dealers are too clever to sample what they are actually selling.

Alcohol, everyone enjoys a drink every now and again, and I agree in the treatment of alcohol abuse but not as much to those who are violent drinkers i.e. those who have just got out of a club in London and bottled somebody, people who are violent when under the influence of alcohol and some drugs should be dealt with harshly i.e. a fine.

I must admit that I have had to think about my reply to this and it has been interesting to say the least...

[Moleman1996]

I don't have time to answer all the questions now (sorry) but you should be able to gain the answer to most of them from the statement I recently made to the MHoC if you can be bothered to have a look (it'll be towards the bottom of the first page, or on the one after it by now).

But to sum my views up, I am not satisfied with the the NHS. The government will turn it around if it passes its reforms, but if things stay as they are it is destined to collapse.

[Rainingshame]

(Original post by Otkem)
Competition drives success. Socialised medicine just ensures awful treatment for all of its recipients.

Healthcare providers in other countries don't as competitors they act as cartels.Why? Because they know that there is no alternative, people have to come to them and pay ludicrously high amounts else face death or serious impairment of some sort. Hence you don't get a better service for less money but the exact opposite. A substandard service for far money. Socialised medicine countries spend less as % of their GDP per capita than those who don't have AND have better healthcare provisions than those with comparable GDP per capita.

Your claim is therefore wrong when it comes to medicine and healthcare.

[alex5455]

(Original post by muddywaters51)
As I said you dont have to answer any of the questions and you dont have to answer them all. This is just for my interest. Im not suggesting anything by asking these questions either.

I am not American to answer those who asked.

I am torn as to whether I think universal healthcare should exist, probably edging towards "no" slightly.

- Is healthcare a human right?

Personally I do not believe it is a human right. I do not believe goods and services are human rights. As healthcare is a service I do not believe that it is a human right, just like I dont believe other services are human rights.

why do you spell like one then?

and other services do not lead to you dying if you dont get them, healthcare is a universal human right as much as free speech

[lizz-ie]

1) Are you satisfied with the NHS? Explain why or why not.
No, definitely not. I went to my doctor in February after having headaches/migraines every other day for over a month. They sent me for numerous sets of blood tests because they didn't know what was wrong. I now get headaches/migraines every day, and only got referred to a specialist (a neurologist) last week! They originally said I'd have to wait a month to have a scan, but thankfully there was a cancellation so I had one sooner, however, it's been a week since and they haven't given me the results yet. Also, the reason I actually went in the first place was because I was worrying about it affecting my exams, but now it's never going to get sorted before then!
2) Do you agree with the idea of universal healthcare? Explain your answer
Yes, I think that everyone should have the right to healthcare.
3) Do you think it is fair that smokers, alcoholics and obese people have their medical problems, which are brought about through poor personal choices, payed for by the taxpayer? If yes then why do you think this is fair?
Partly, in the case of people who are obese due to medical problems that make them so.
4) Do you think healthcare is a human right? Explain why.
Yes. Everyone should have the right to stay healthy, and it's not fair to let people suffer due to poor health which is easily preventable.
5) Do you think the NHS is efficient with its resources?
No. They give out "free" packs to quit smoking, when it's smokers' fault that they got addicted in the first place!
6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.
Yes, some people can't afford to pay for private healthcare and that's why a percentage of peoples wages is given to the NHS. Also (sorry for talking about America), we pay a large percentage less of our wages towards the NHS than the average American does for healthcare. I think that the privatisation of healthcare will just increase prices, as doctors will know that they can charge whatever they want!
7) Are you satisfied with waiting times? Emergency rooms, GP and specialist referals. Include any examples how how long you had to wait if possible
No. I had to wait months before being referred to a specialist! Also, when something happened to my sister, they left us waiting so long at A&E that she passed out again. So we just went home and went back the next day.
8) Are you one of the people getting a good deal
I don't really understand what you mean by this question, sorry!
9) Does the NHS provide the best healthcare possible?
No. However, under the new government budget cuts and guidelines, I think the NHS are trying to, but there is just not enough money to hire enough people. Also, physiotherapists are no longer allowed to perform physiotherapy on their patients, which is just ridiculous!
10) Do you think it is fair that certain families are priced out of private healthcare because of the cost of universal healthcare?
I don't agree that this happens. The cost of universal healthcare is on average, a much lower percentage of a persons salary, as private healthcare is much more expensive, so certain families would not be able to afford it anyway!
11) Is the NHS really a fair system? Do you think its fair people who pay a large amount into the NHS through high taxes recieve the same healthcare as those who contribute nothing towards it?
I think it is fair, because people pay a percentage of what they earn, and this means that they pay what they can afford to. A lower class person can afford to pay a lot less than an upper class person, and as they contribute the same percentage of what they earn, they should get the same treatment.

[jennifex]

(Original post by muddywaters51)

11) Is the NHS really a fair system? Do you think its fair people who pay a large amount into the NHS through high taxes recieve the same healthcare as those who contribute nothing towards it?

As someone who will pay high taxes in the future, yes I do think it's fair. I don't believe that you can put a price on healthcare. Society consists of people who pay a lot of tax and those who pay less. If the people at the bottom rose to the top, somebody else would be at the bottom. That doesn't mean we leave those people to fend for themselves.

People should be entitled to good quality healthcare however much they earn, that's at the very core of the NHS and for all its flaws I believe that's worth fighting for It might not be a totally "fair" system for high earners, but it's a damn sight better than the alternative, where children die because their parents can't afford an operation.

[nadiah]

1) Are you satisfied with the NHS? Explain why or why not.

Pretty much. could be better but then again it could be so, so much worse.


2) Do you agree with the idea of universal healthcare? Explain your answer

Yes. Why should those who are already living in poverty have to scrimp on their medical care? I know of people in the US for example who can't afford to see their doctor when they get ill, and they end up with a serious illness as a result. We have a duty to look after everyone, especially when those who are mega rich are the ones causing the massive health divide (I have written essays on this and could go on forever, aha but I will stop now.)


3) Do you think it is fair that smokers, alcoholics and obese people have their medical problems, which are brought about through poor personal choices, payed for by the taxpayer? If yes then why do you think this is fair?

Yes, because it's not simply "poor choices". Standards of living, education, stress and the fact that things like cigarettes even exist are all factors in someone making that "poor choice".


4) Do you think healthcare is a human right? Explain why.

of course! it keeps you alive, which is basically the name of the game.



5) Do you think the NHS is efficient with its resources?

It has poor resources atm (Thanks, government!) but I think it does the best it can, though I don't know enough to comment.



6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.

Yes, I would oppose it. No, I have never been treated privately.



7) Are you satisfied with waiting times? Emergency rooms, GP and specialist referals. Include any examples how how long you had to wait if possible

yes! I was an idiot and sliced my hand open in first year, and I was seen within 45 minutes, and had left the hospital within 2 hours. I also had pneumonia as a kid and was hospitalised for 5 days; everyone in the hospital was brilliant



8) Are you one of the people getting a good deal

What does this even mean????

9) Does the NHS provide the best healthcare possible?

Possible with the funding they have, yes.


10) Do you think it is fair that certain families are priced out of private healthcare because of the cost of universal healthcare?

We wouldn't need private healthcare if the government stopped blowing people up and instead put that money to the NHS. What is so bad about universal healthcare that people have to worry about being priced out of private healthcare anyway?!


11) Is the NHS really a fair system? Do you think its fair people who pay a large amount into the NHS through high taxes recieve the same healthcare as those who contribute nothing towards it?

Yes it is fair, see answer to question #2. Not everyone can be rolling in dough, that's just the way life is. Personally if I have a well paid job I will be more than happy to pay high taxes, knowing that they are going towards the NHS, which, you know, SAVES LIVES.

[That Bearded Man]

The government throws about the problem of the NHS as "too much bureaucracy" but isn't there so much bureaucracy because of the risk of liability? I mean, isn't it a symptom of our suing culture, rather than organisational incompetence?

[Helloworld_95]

I'll just give some input living somewhere which does use privatized health care (although otherwise the system is pretty much the same as the British system).

You can get an appointment here with a GP on the day you arrange it, or a specialist between a day and a month depending on urgency. But it costs £35 each time to go to the GP and ~£180 per time to an unsubsidised specialist. If you go to the Hospital though it's about three times that.

Dental care is about £50 for check ups or £100 for general procedures like fillings.

And people who are on benefits get these trips paid for them.

[squeakysquirrel]

1) Are you satisfied with the NHS? Explain why or why not.

Considering how many people it serves it does a great job,
2) Do you agree with the idea of universal healthcare? Explain your answer
Yes - we should have universal healthcare with the caveat that if people choose to ignore advice then care should be limited
3) Do you think it is fair that smokers, alcoholics and obese people have their medical problems, which are brought about through poor personal choices, payed for by the taxpayer? If yes then why do you think this is fair?

See above
4) Do you think healthcare is a human right? Explain why.

In a civilised society yes with the caveats again mentioned in question 2
5) Do you think the NHS is efficient with its resources?

Nope too much management; too much wastage on silly disorders like obesity and obesity induced diabetes
6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.

Slippery slope then - have had private treatment overseas - every penny accounted for
7) Are you satisfied with waiting times? Emergency rooms, GP and specialist referals. Include any examples how how long you had to wait if possible

Many patients should not be there and if you are really ill you are seen as a priority
8) Are you one of the people getting a good deal

At the moment I very rarely use the NHS
9) Does the NHS provide the best healthcare possible?

Within its limitations - it is great
10) Do you think it is fair that certain families are priced out of private healthcare because of the cost of universal healthcare?

Don't know what you mean
11) Is the NHS really a fair system? Do you think its fair people who pay a large amount into the NHS through high taxes recieve the same healthcare as those who contribute nothing towards it?

No it is not really fair but then life isn't fair. I do think that we should start rationing care if people don't listen to advice and that includes all classes - drinkers; smokers; fatties; lazybones; druggies.


And people who are abusive to staff should be given the red card.

I work for the NHS - it is a wonderful institution but needs an overhaul so badly

[muddywaters51]

(Original post by lizz-ie)
4) Do you think healthcare is a human right? Explain why.

Yes. Everyone should have the right to stay healthy, and it's not fair to let people suffer due to poor health which is easily preventable.

Do you believe food, shelter, clothing, water are human rights too? I am just curious. And if so should the government provide these too? Can goods and services be human rights?

6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.

Yes, some people can't afford to pay for private healthcare and that's why a percentage of peoples wages is given to the NHS. Also (sorry for talking about America), we pay a large percentage less of our wages towards the NHS than the average American does for healthcare. I think that the privatisation of healthcare will just increase prices, as doctors will know that they can charge whatever they want!

Some people would suggest that privatisation and removing all government intereference would result in a more efficient and cheaper healthcare system. The system in America is not an example of this as there is plenty of government intereference in their healthcare. Competition and looking for profits would result in more efficient and cheaper healthcare. This is one school of thought

(Original post by squeakysquirrel)
2) Do you agree with the idea of universal healthcare? Explain your answer

Yes - we should have universal healthcare with the caveat that if people choose to ignore advice then care should be limited

Are you saying that healthcare is a human right except the people who disregard their doctors advice should have that right taken away? How do you control this and is that really fair (below you said healthcare is a human right?) I dont really understand how you would go about doing this in a fair way. Is it really a human right if you can limit it like this? Maybe I have misunderstood you

6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.

Slippery slope then - have had private treatment overseas - every penny accounted for

Could you expand on that? ("slippery slope", not your overseas experience)

bold

[Ra Ra Ra]

1) Are you satisfied with the NHS? Explain why or why not.

Overall, yes. I do feel there needs to be something done about waiting lists in some areas, and there should be some reform with regards to those seeking mental health diagnosis or treatment, but when you look at another certain country and what their system's like, I wouldn't even dream of getting rid of it.

2) Do you agree with the idea of universal healthcare? Explain your answer

Yes. I find it appalling that there are some countries without it. Everyone has the right to free healthcare, regardless of wealth. That someone with a potential life-threatening illness/condition doesn't get the same level of treatment as another because one of their financial background is absurd.

3) Do you think it is fair that smokers, alcoholics and obese people have their medical problems, which are brought about through poor personal choices, payed for by the taxpayer? If yes then why do you think this is fair?

To a certain extent. One way you can look at it is that eating/drinking/drugs problems are addictions, and that people aren't actively seeking to end up as alcoholics or the like. Although you can argue that they brought the problem upon themselves, it isn't as simple as that: there might be mental health problems behind why they drink or smoke or eat (my mother, for example, smokes because she finds it a way of relieving her depression symptoms).

4) Do you think healthcare is a human right? Explain why.

Yes. See Number Two.

5) Do you think the NHS is efficient with its resources?

I don't know the exact figures, but I think it's doing the best it can.

6) Would you oppose the privatization of healthcare? Please also include whether or not you have ever been treated privately.

Oh, yes. It's not a matter of 'Oh, I preferred it when I was treated privately because they had nicer doctors and I knew I was in better hands' - if you can afford it, fine, but everyone else should be getting the same high level of care regardless of wealth.

7) Are you satisfied with waiting times? Emergency rooms, GP and specialist referals. Include any examples how how long you had to wait if possible

Not really, but then I live in quite a rural area, and there's not another hospital around for God knows how many miles. One of my experiences was to do with having my wisdom teeth removed - mine are badly impacted so I'd need general, and I was told I'd have them out by Christmas last October. Seven months later I still haven't had the surgery (having it on Thursday, though - ack!). Though this isn't an important surgery, it's pretty much the only experience I have with waiting lists; I don't go to the hospital much

8) Are you one of the people getting a good deal

Eh?

9) Does the NHS provide the best healthcare possible?

It could be improved, but overall I think it's doing the best it can.

10) Do you think it is fair that certain families are priced out of private healthcare because of the cost of universal healthcare?

I'm...not really sure what this question means...

11) Is the NHS really a fair system? Do you think its fair people who pay a large amount into the NHS through high taxes recieve the same healthcare as those who contribute nothing towards it?

Yes. At the end of the day I don't really care who pays what towards it. It's universal, it's for everyone, and that's really what matters.

[vickie89]

i am in full support of the nhs. 2 members of my family have had cancer and they have been treated excellently for it and are doing well now. my grandma has had both her knees done, and had a severe injury to her shoulder, she was treated excellantly by the hospital and while she is still not entirely better she is having ongoing physio in a group with other similar people and is transported there and back.
my nephew was born with a serious kidney problem (cant remember what it was called but they werent working properly and they basically had to label his urine as urine cos there was so much blood in it), he had a lot of treatment in hospital and a couple of operations, he is now a healthy and happy 3 year old.
i also have a back and joint problem and have spent the last 15 years in and out of hospital for scans, xrays, investigations, physio, my tonsils out and a toenail operation as well, not to mention im accident prone and have had numerous a&e admissions over the years. my dad, grandad and step-mum have had medical problems and also received excellant care.

none of my family is particularly rich, we pretty much just get by on what we have and if the nhs was privatised like it is in america we would be screwed and in so much debt, several members of my family would probably even be dead if it wasnt for the nhs and i would probably be in a wheelchair or something. i dont think you should pick and choose what patients to treat, regardless of whether it was caused by drink, drugs, obesity, etc as whatever you choose to do in life could result in a hospital admission, so for the system to work effectively it should be available to everyone.

while yes there are long waiting times, its mainly cos theres just not enough people around to do everything, mainly due to budget cuts and them trying to save money where they can. most of us who work in the nhs (when iv been on placement) try to get everyone seen as quickly as possible, which can mean we go without a break when its busy, sometimes for as long as 8/9/10hours, and the doctors can be working on several different wards at the same time, and theres a lot of paperwork and checking that needs to be done before anything can be done a lot of the time, which is why it can take a while to get seen/discharged. i know in my area they have introduced rules where children have to be seen within 1 hour of arriving at the hospital and health visitors have to see newborn babies within 14 days of them being released from hospital so i feel it is going in the right direction. if anything i think that more money should be put into the nhs rather than privatising it all and then it would work a lot better

[jennifex]

(Original post by muddywaters51)
As I said you dont have to answer any of the questions and you dont have to answer them all. This is just for my interest. Im not suggesting anything by asking these questions either.

I am not American to answer those who asked.

I am torn as to whether I think universal healthcare should exist, probably edging towards "no" slightly.

- Is healthcare a human right?

Personally I do not believe it is a human right. I do not believe goods and services are human rights. As healthcare is a service I do not believe that it is a human right, just like I dont believe other services are human rights.

I don't understand how you can live in a civilised society and not believe that everyone should be entitled to healthcare. You think people should die because they can't afford an operation? (Presumably you're thinking you would be within the elite who were able to afford healthcare, what if you weren't? Would you still feel the same?)

You're using the term "human rights" a lot. Out of interest, what do you think ARE human rights?