When Daniel Hannan described the NHS as a sixty year mistake, he did something unforgivable; he dared to criticise a national institution. For over half a century we have been indoctrinated into thinking the NHS is the envy of the world. We have been indoctrinated into thinking if we take ill overseas, the standard of care will not be a high as it is in the UK. We have also been indoctrinated into thinking the only option there is to the NHS is the US system of healthcare provision. This perhaps has been the most sinister lie of those on the left, and it is this argument that is wheeled out every time some of us try and discuss the future of healthcare in this country.
The indoctrination worked very well for decades, until we decided to holiday in other countries, rather than Blackpool or Clacton. We found out the standard of healthcare was high in many other countries and people were not dying on the streets because they couldn’t pay their medical bills. Even though in our hearts we know this, the left still put the fear factor into play when we dare to criticise the NHS. We have become accustomed to the state doing everything for us, we no longer regard healthcare as our responsibility. The left knows this and they have been very successful in ensuring healthcare remains the biggest nationalised industry in Britain.
Occasionally, something happens to rock our faith in the NHS. If you want an elderly relative to meet their maker, so you can pick up your inheritance sooner rather than later, then all you have to do is encourage them to have an operation in Basildon. This is far cheaper than going to Switzerland and there are no legal ramifications for you either. The icing on the cake could be the compensation you receive after your dear great aunt dies from a hospital acquired infection. Not that Basildon should be singled out unfairly. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital will also put your child’s health at risk thanks to its poor infection control, even though they regarded themselves as doing everything they could to offer the cleanest and safest wards of any Children’s Hospital in the country. The list goes on and on.
Millions of people around the country are frightened to go into hospital for operations, fearing what happened in Basildon may happen to them. Yet we love the NHS. The twitter campaign a few months’ ago proved that; didn’t it? I don’t believe we love the NHS at all. What we appreciate is the notion of universal healthcare. We find ourselves reassured our credit card will not be hit if we fall ill. The Germans are also reassured by the that fact, but they don’t have socialised medicine. They have a cost-effective system that offers universal healthcare to its citizens and you don’t hear of wards being closed down all over Germany thanks to MRSA and other bugs. To find out how the Germans manage to do it, click HERE.
The Dr Foster Hospital Guide has highlighted what bad shape some of our hospitals are in. This would not be tolerated in most countries. Hospitals would go out of business. You would use your right to choose a hospital with a good record, and give other hospitals a wide berth. The market would ensure the patient came first and can do this without the need to have expensive medical bills or unaffordable insurance premiums. We have to move away from the notion it is the state’s responsibility to pay for everything and become more responsible for our healthcare provision, and this does not mean the most vulnerable in society are left dying on the streets. A safety net must always be there in any civilised society. It means a mixture of private and public money and resources should be used to deliver a healthcare service that it fit for purpose and could easily become the envy of the world.
This is the challenge politicians will never rise to. Gradually dismantling the NHS is a vote loser. Until it is possible to have a rational debate on the NHS, nothing will change and Britain will be poorer as a result.
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