In a stunning move, the British National Health Service, which operates the government-run medical system, ordered the cancellation of over 50,000 “non-urgent” surgeries in every hospital across England, leaving sick patients in limbo as they wait for procedures.
The order came on Tuesday, as hospitals dealt with large crowds stemming from a winter outbreak of the flu. Some patients were forced to wait 12 hours, standing in the corridors as seating areas became overwhelmed, according a Washington Free Beacon report.
British Prime Minister Theresa May offered an apology on Thursday during an interview with Sky News. “I know it’s difficult, I know it’s frustrating, I know it’s disappointing for people and I apologize,” she said as she visited patients at a London hospital.
The NHS offers free government-run health care to British citizens, making up about a third of England’s budget. Unfortunately, this move has caused the health care quality to drop in recent years.
One doctor described treating patients with “battlefield medicine,” while others have said that the hospitals face “third world conditions” as the medical staff became overwhelmed with patients coming in with flu-type symptoms.
Since Britain initiated a government-run health care system, the overall quality has steadily dropped, even as leftist politicians propose similar systems for the United States.
Paul Gallagher wrote about the dismal state of the NHS back in 2015 for the Independent.
The UK has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world according to a damning new report which said the nation has an “outstandingly poor” record of preventing ill health.
Hospitals are now so short-staffed and underequipped that people are also dying needlessly because of a chronic lack of investment. The verdict, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will make embarrassing reading for (then-Prime Minister) David Cameron who denied the cash-strapped NHS is heading for its worst winter crisis.
He adds,
Britain was placed on a par with Chile and Poland as countries still lagging behind the best performers in survival following diagnosis for different types of cancer. The UK came 21st out of 23 countries on cervical cancer survival, 20th out of 23 countries on breast and bowel cancer survival and 19th out of 31 countries on stroke.
These are staggering statistics for those who want the United States to emulate the health care policies of our neighbors across the Atlantic.
As sick patients wait for a diagnosis from their physician, they may find themselves on the receiving end of a cancellation instead of a treatment to cure their ailments.