According to a recent study, the health outcomes of Britain’s nationalized health care system, which is free-at-point-of-use, have significantly fallen behind those of other advanced economies. This $230 billion system is struggling to keep up with important healthcare measures such as life expectancy and deaths, as compared to countries like Canada, New Zealand, and its European neighbors. The study, conducted by the King’s Fund, reveals that avoidable deaths related to treatable conditions such as cancer, heart attacks, and strokes are partly due to the underperformance of the National Health Service (NHS).
In terms of deaths caused by treatable conditions, Britain ranks second after the United States. The study highlights the potential for these deaths to have been avoided if healthcare services were delivered in a more timely and effective manner, with a greater focus on public health and prevention. Additionally, Britain’s per capita health spending is below average compared to peer countries, resulting in limited key resources such as beds, CT scanners, and MRI scanners.
The study also points out that the UK has a shortage of key clinical staff, including doctors and nurses, and heavily relies on foreign-trained staff. While the NHS performs relatively well in terms of efficiency, waiting times for common procedures were already subpar before the COVID-19 pandemic and have worsened since then. Overall, the UK falls behind its peers in important measures of health status and healthcare outcomes.
On a positive note, the NHS excels in prescribing cheaper generic medicines and efficiently allocates only 2% of its budget to administration. The report suggests that instead of focusing on the political debate surrounding health spending, the emphasis should be on achieving desired outcomes and identifying effective strategies to achieve them.
In response to the study, the Department of Health and Social Care defends the NHS as one of the best-run healthcare systems globally. They highlight their commitment to improving services and reducing waiting lists through an investment of up to $18 billion, which includes hiring more staff and constructing diagnostic centers in communities.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledges the challenges faced by the NHS and emphasizes the need to address them for the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system. As the 75th anniversary of the NHS approaches, Sunak expresses his commitment to ensuring its continued success for many more years to come.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
