Brits resort to surgery abroad amid NHS crisis
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- Опубликовано: 25 сен 2023
- A record 7.68 million patients are waiting for routine NHS hospital treatment in England which is prompting some people to explore other options, including going abroad.
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Annabel Harris was told by her doctor that she needed a full hip replacement, and discovered it would be years until she could be treated by the health service. Instead, she joined the growing number of Britons choosing to pay to have surgery in another country.
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#NHS #Medicine #Surgery #Lithuania
80% are from the UK! Incredible. Welcome to Tory Britain. I live in Greece and need a hip replacement. I wouldn't dream of going back to UK.
You should go to Malta for your medical treatment, best docs in the world apparently.
This caught me unawares. That gentleman surgeon just exuded an aura of care, compassion, professionalism, and self-assurance. Much respect for this doctor.
Remember that time when we were in EU and if the queue was too long you could go anywhere in EU for free? Dark times...
You chose to leave the EU.
No, not at anytime could a EU citizen just go anywhere for medical treatment. I'm an Expat Brit living in Germany (never regretted leaving England). Whenever my wife had to call the emergency service the ambulance with paramedics would arrive within 15 minutes.
As for an operation in Lithuania, it might be more affordable but at what price? The German Foreign Office travel information on the country warns of indifferent medical care standards, A flight following an operation is at your own risk, by Ryanair/Whizzair even more so.
So you want everything for free but only work 4 hours a day? No wonder the UK is in decline
@@johnthere297Germany is different, Germany has health insurance. most places in Europe don't have health insurance and it is just free.
It’s not just the NHS. The American healthcare system is totally broken as well.😢
Sadly the majority of people can’t afford this! So have to wait years in pain
And yet Corbyn didn't get a majority... hey ho
Or off themselves.
Explain "off themselves"?@@shauncameron8390
We pay all this TAX to our government and this is how they treat us.
I see/read news items like this and I just feel so worried for my parents. I’m a healthy 34yo but my mum and dad are in their 60s. It breaks my heart that anyone would be in this situation
Did you voted for politicians on the left? If you did then this is what you wanted. I don't feel sorry for you at all.
@@danielpascoe9638Don’t the right want to privatize it?
@@strnglhld to privatize means to give the work to the private sector not controlled by the government.
@@danielpascoe9638 yes, I know.
@@danielpascoe9638😂 cheers dude - needed that 👌 👍
The NHS has been broken for a while, Covid just exposed it and made it worse but some of us have known this from years of first hand experience and have had to turn to private options just to survive which isn’t on when we are paying for services that we can’t even access. I’m glad we have a safety net that places like the USA don’t have but we also don’t have the same freedom to escape the system when things are clearly going wrong.
Quite the "safety net" when many people's condition will worsen or die before they ever get to see a doctor. Btw we do have safety nets. We have Medicare for old people and Medicaid for those with no or little income. Not to mention that nobody, regardless of insurance status, can ever be turned away from the ER.
Nothing is free.
There is always pros and cons to every system socialized healthcare isn’t some holy grail of human wealthfare.
@@inquisitivesoul3618Chronic conditions that require follow-ups are not things you go to the ER for. Those that aren’t in poverty can easily end up there just by getting sick. Seen it a million times.
@@strnglhld Interesting how you only reply to the last sentence of my comment. Chronic conditions is what Medicaid and Medicare are for.
And then you finally have a consultation only to be put onto another waiting list
The NHS has been sending people to Europe for surgeries for years. Unfortunately given the current political situation has stopped it
There's a joke. People entitled to NHS care having to go abroad. Foreigners not entitled to NHS care being handed it on a plate by the NHS.
Sums it up precisely.
'Foreigners not entitled to NHS care being handed it on a plate by the NHS.' Do you have a source for this? Foreigners are billed 150% if they seek NHS treatment. Every immigrant on a visa has had to pay upfront several hundred or thousand £ for healthcare as part of obtaining the visa. Assuming they are relatively young, fit and well, most end up barely utilising the NHS, which means the amount they pay goes towards someone else's healthcare bill.
Half of this comment is accurate, the other half is made-up GB News/Daily Mail nonsense.
Holy shit. Welcome to the American healthcare experience Britain.
what happened to the UK? right wing for to long?
Thank immigration for this
I love my American healthcare. Had both corneas replaced and occult lens. Had left knee replaced. Had colon cancer surgery and Chemo. Love our health care. Never have to wait. I am 71 and doing great. Going to have surgery on my deviated septum. Love my healthcare...
@@johney3734I think austerity has a lot to do with it
@@connectingthedots100brutal
Of course, if like Sunak and his family, you have lots of money then you can get more or less instant access to some of the very best medical treatment in the world, here in London.
My mom had to patronise the NES (private) for her surgeries and chemotherapy. It cost a fortune but she was treated with utmost priority.
A hybrid model works best. Public for those who can’t afford it, private for those who can.
@@awarepenguin3376Except when the people able to afford the private destroy the public.
@@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq It's almost like nationalized healthcare has deep-rooted flaws. Who woulda thunk it?
@@inquisitivesoul3618 Not me. I don't believe it fundamentally does. I believe that the UK's current mismanagement of the NHS is due to a corrupt democracy, which is not a problem which can be solved with healthcare reform.
@@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq
It's not private's fault that public is inadequate and inefficient and those willing/able to pay choose private.
There's no such thing as a low maintenance patient. We have all used the NHS at some point ranging from the vaccinations you had as a child, to your childhood dental care. If you are a woman who has had children, you will have had antenatal care and the NHS cares for your baby, that will wipe out almost all of your national insurance payments over a couple of decades of working. None of those things are free. So almost everyone has had NHS care even before they reach their 5th birthday, let alone if you are older
Of course there is, low vs high is a matter of comparison
I see your point, I guess I just meant I haven't had any illnesses or operations, you are right, I have had two children - stand corrected!
of course there is
@@MikeMike-ms1ns you are assuming that health will always stay the same. It won't, as the risk of disease always rises with time, as a person ages. Therefore you can never assume that someone will always be "low maintenance". One single serious hospital admission can wipe out an entire lifetime of NI contributions
@@lywc82185may not "low" but "lower"
This has being going on for decades. I know of elderly who have always had to pay privately or else wait for the surgery that never comes on the NHS! Even though facing immobility they never got any help. I was lucky to have family pay for my surgery in a very busy private hospital funnily enough or tragically the surgeon was working also in the local NHS! What is going on??
You can have as many operations outside the UK as you want. The reason there are waiting lines and high prices is because they want you "to go". Don't worry they will find a way.
❤ hope she's much better xx
I was offered a potential treatment abroad and completely blocked from obtaining it in the UK!
Which country?
The system should have a four or three tier system and the government should sell some NHS hospitals to private and create affordable insurance plans for the middle class and upper while the working is able to use the NHS. This is not to gate keep but elevate the system by selling its debts and getting profit and giving a fair wages for doctors and nurses keep the NHS and also doctors and nurses who want to work in Private sector. For example training can easily be in NHS and only there so that they will be doctors know the NhS and after their specialisation they can move and work in private if they wish too. Mia sit like Scandinavia or like Taiwan. Like how come a new country has a better system than we do?
Something similar has also Australia and their access to healthcare is nice, compared to the UK.
Thumbs down for the pesky ads.
Isn't the issue that less money is going to NHS?
Well in real terms more money than ever is going into the NHS, but that is only part of the picture. Its not enough money in terms of demographic and population change, greater competition abroad for trained doctors and nurses (just hop over to Republic of Ireland and you get a 20-30% pay rise), large numbers of staff vacancies (we don't pay enough to hire and keep people), and shrinking physical capacity due to a lack of capital investment over the past 10 years into buildings and equipment. Consequently despite technically spending more money than ever, we have huge waiting lists for non-urgent surgeries meaning people are waiting years for life changing surgeries like hip replacement.
Also, COVID, but that just made an existing problem significantly worse.
The NHS is being used as a clearing house for private health care providers- our money goes into the NHS and immediately is syphoned into private companies under contract.
To many immigrants
@@Researchthejoosthat's the thing to do. Blame immigrants when they aren't the problem but an underfunded system is "THE PROBLEM".
@@genespell4340 to many immigrants .
Simple
Its not complicated
But but I thought complicit nationalized healthcare was the golden standard of medicine! Have I been misled?!? This can't be!
it works fine and has worked fine for 100 years, but the current UK government tries to make it bad on purpose because they want a USA system of private healthcare only. But it used to work well. but they spent 13 years trying to make it worse.
It's hilarious how little you know about the subject but swallow down a load of media surface-level reporting and feel all smart because it reaffirms your beliefs, which is exactly what the conservatives want
I just watched their manipulation work on you in real-time, but you're happy about it 💀
Nationalised healthcare works very well in countries run by governments which aren't opposed to nationalised healthcare (and therefore don't deliberately run their nationalised healthcare systems into the ground). The UK is not (currently) one of these countries.
A year and a half waiting for an operation? There are those who complain about costs in the U.S., but we don't have to wait 1 1/2 years for a hip replacement.....wow, looks like socialized medicine has another hit against it!
Pretty much. Canada is suffering from the same problem.
I had to wait nearly 3 years,
This is scary I’m waiting for a kidney stone operation I’ve been waiting 4 years
Cut to the surgeon bashing with a hammer. I now have incurable surgery phobia :(
Grow a pair. 🙄
I feel sorry for the surgeons. The government needs to sort the waiting lists out asap
Pretty shocking her husband didnt go over with her
The pain killer have bad side effects like nausa stomach inflammation and rotting of the stomach lining. Heart problems liver problems name but a few. Thc is a natural pain relief
Only for the wealthy and rich
Our medical system can't be broken like this in the US because we don't have one, brits stay losing since 1776.🦅🦅🦅🦅
Two surgeries, one after the other?
Yes, just like the nhs would
5 million immigrants in 10 years doesn't help. But Guardian readers never factor this into the equation do they? They complain about the crumbling infrastructure and the strain on services yet still want millions more to enter the country legally and illegally unchecked, undocumented, unvaccinated and "un" everything else. When does it stop?
don't put all immigrants in the same boat. Many of us contribute to the economy and help fund the NHS. I live in the north of England and pay 1500 per month in taxes and NI. I also have a private insurance that I use when I need medical care. I pay a lot more and use less than most brits I am surrounded by and so does my husband. There's a massive difference between illegal immigrants who come to claim asylum and seek benefits and those of us who are contributing to the economy.
NHS stands on its feet due to immigrant workforce. If there were not so many nurses and doctors from abroad, NHS would have collapsed long ago!!Immigrants pay a hefty health surcharge on top of their visa to access to NHS services.
Love my American healthcare. Had both corneas replaced and occult lens. Had left knee replaced. Had colon cancer surgery and Chemo. Love our health care. Never have to wait. I am 71 and doing great. Going to have surgery on my deviated septum. Love my healthcare...
😂😂😂 Yeah, rub it in.
US has the best healthcare. I don't care what others say...
@@ZenoGotWet If he's 71, he's probably on MedicAid, the socialized healthcare of the US. I'm sure he get's decent treatment. Paid by the US tax payer.
Pity the Tories can only ever offer disdain and misery.
So send more to Ukraine.
I believe Ukraine's health care systems are extremely stretched due to Putin's attempted genocide. They can't cope with extra UK citizens.
We absolutely will, using the money British patients spend here. Stay mad about it.
I thought the Free healthcare for all in the UK was great. I love the USA
It's actually great if you don't need a bigger operation. The American system is great quality wise, but too expensive and corrupt. No transparency. Quite scary if you're really ill. I lived in both countries. Better systems in other European countries.
It used to be a world renowned institution but it's a total copout now, riddled with corruption, bullying and managerial problems.
The care remains, as it would but morale is going downhill for many reasons, including those above.
Don't believe it,the NHS is finished
Yeah, I thought about opening my own farm, but its a long and complicated process. Im just investing in Cannafarm ltd farms and earning every day
please tell us your secret ? I would even pay you just please tell me your secret 😂😂😂😂
If they both lost weight maybe there hip pain would reduce
Hard to lose weight when you can’t move
She isn't overweight. Before her chronic pain, Annabel did triathlons. You're very rude.
Yes she is overweight, she probably looks normal to most people as everyone seems overweight nowadays. I knew a guy who thought he was only about 16 stone and I was like no, you are more like 18 stone mate, he got on the scales and checked, almost 18 stone. she looks about 16 stone to me, so overweight. @@janetemmerson529