Guardian UK: Thank heaven for the NHS (How dare the Republicans badmouth our free healthcare system) [View All]

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Thank heaven for the NHS
How dare the Republicans bad-mouth our free healthcare system? If I'd been born in the US, I'd probably be dead by now

Michele Hanson
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 12 August 2009


The American Republicans opposed to Barack Obama's introduction of healthcare reforms have been bad-mouthing our NHS. How dare they? The NHS is one of my main reasons for thanking heaven I was born here, where I know that whatever my income, our free health system will look after me.

It's not perfect, no organisation of that size could be, it's bound to make some mistakes, but I don't know where I'd be without it. Probably dead. I have a thyroid condition, and every day for the last 30 years I've had free medication, like thousands of others with ongoing conditions: diabetes, epilepsy, cancer and many others. What happens to the 43 million people in the US who can't afford to pay for such things? Must they live a miserable, painful, debilitated life and die early?

My mother was cared for until 98, free, through pneumonia, stroke, angina, arthritis and a broken back. All but one of the dozens of doctors, nurses and medical staff who treated her were kind, patient and verging on saintly. She was even fitted with new false teeth at 97 by a lovely young dentist who came to our house to treat her, even though we all knew that the Grim Reaper was nearly at the door.

By that age, my mother often longed to be allowed to fade away, but our hospital seemed to pull out all the stops to keep her going. So those Republican claims that our elderly cannot receive certain treatments are fibs, or at least grossly exaggerated. The over-59s are not refused heart surgery. One of my friends, aged 70, has recently had a stent fitted; another, also 70, is about to have a valve replacement. And last year, aged 66, I had two cataracts removed. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/12/nhs-republicans-health-us