Like government medicine?

[cryowizard]

Think we should have medical system like in the NHS in the UK? I wouldn't want to.

I am currently suffering from a weird condition causing me to cough like crazy. Yesterday I have called my doc and today went in for a check up. I got the checkup, the prescriptions and advice in less than 24 hours from making the decision to visit.

I'm also doing some research into my condition. On one of the forums where patients discuss their symptoms, what worked for them and what didn't, I stumble on this:

Haven't seen ENT specialist yet as I live in the UK and must wait about 4 months for an appointment

Are you fucking kidding me? 4 months? I could barely stand to wait a week with the kind of coughing I get. In 4 months I'd hang myself. So I guess UK standards of medicine aren't high enough for me.

Comments

[mhmeln-57.livejournal.com]

So one anonymous (?) account on a forum is sufficient to form a judgment about UK healthcare system? i suppose this conclusion is due to your health condition - i can't imagine you would normally let your emotions and socio-political views cloud your investigative and inquisitive mind so easily.

Have any Canadian friends? Canadians got health problems too...are they complaining much of their state-run healthcare system? Swedes also tend to have long, healthy, happy lives despite the state-provided health coverage. Must be the snow - the snow keeps them northerners healthy.

[cryowizard.livejournal.com]

I also have friends who live in the UK. Former colleagues from UBS and all, lawyers with good income. Heard fairly horrible stories from most. God forbid you get sick out there. Even their ambulances stink with the terrible response time (once over 2 hours) and even worse care (EMT doc patted my semiconscious friend on the back and told her to sleep it off -- a week long's fever of 39.4, fatigue, dehydration and vomiting -- after she called for EMT)

As to Canadians -- they come down to US all the time because the waiting period for treatment in Canada is measured in weeks, sometimes years. People die before they can get actual treatment because of wait times. Here's a post for you I'll re-post as a separate item.

This is reality, not some high-minded do-goodie attitude: http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/409192893/m/6640081051001?r=2370025051001#2370025051001

We do need to reform our health care system. But neither Canadian nor British systems are a good model.