Hey guys,
Just wondered if anyone would mind giving me some feedback on one of my practice essays.
People injured whilst participating in extreme sports should not be treated by a publiclyfunded health service.Explain the reasoning behind this statement. Suggest an argument against this statement. Towhat extent, if any, does the statement justify a change in public attitudes to personal risktaking?
This statement suggests that any injury suffered by extreme sports participants is unnecessary and the fault of said participant. It insinuates that healthcare funded by the taxpayer should not be used to treat easily avoidable injury.
The flaw in this argument lies within the boundaries set if it were to be implemented. At what point are people deemed to be putting themselves at unnecessary risk? For example, it could be said that someone who regularly cycles on busy roads is exposing themselves to avoidable danger, similarly to someone who participates in extreme sports.
However, the benefits of regular cycling on our health are seen to outweigh the risks, perhaps even potentially reducing a person's reliance on public healthcare in future. The same logic could be applied to extreme sports, many of which carry significant benefits to long-term cardiac and respiratory health, despite the immediate risk of the injury.
The statement takes the stance that personal risk taking should not impact on the general population financially via the use of taxes in this way. In the event of participants being refused public healthcare for injuries sustained during extreme sports, it is undoubted that many people would reevaluate the true necessity of the danger they may be exposing themselves to.
In the UK, we are lucky enough to have free access to the NHS, but this does perhaps make us complacent in our appreciation of good health. By removing this unlimited access, the population as a whole would certainly reconsider the importance of preserving our own well being and limiting the danger we expose ourselves to.
Thank you!!