I just returned from Britain having attended my brother's daughter's funeral. She had cancer and her twin told me that if healthcare was not free that she would have lost her sister years earlier. The National Health Service was introduced by a Labor Party government after World War 2 and is extremely popular.
Well, while I was in Britain the British Medical Association made some statement in relation to the NHS and the upcoming elections there. Like the AMA in the US, the BMA is the national association of doctors. The BMA is home to 100,000 doctors. Unlike the AMA, the BMA considers itself a trade union of doctors. Like the teachers' unions who have always fought for student's rights, the BMA is at the forefront of defending those it serves: the patients.
So what was the British Medical Association's statement pissed off about? They were fighting against private hospitals being allowed to use NHS resources. Dr. Hamish Meldrum said that they opposed "vital NHS funding being diverted to shareholders."
It's like night and day. Free health care is good even for the mental health and moral compasses of doctors. How could you argue against it. How could Obama get it SO wrong? (rhetorical question)
Now all is not perfect in the NHS and by no means are all doctors here business-oriented, but something is wrong here.
Last word for the BMA rep Dr. Meldrum: "it is crucial that public money is no longer wasted on expensive commercial experiments." Tell us about it.
Rob, carpenter who lost his work-based health insurance
No comments:
Post a Comment