In praise of the NHS

marmitepotato

Having watched my sister die of breast cancer in South Africa, I am so so grateful we have our NHS. My sister had to pay for every mortal thing that was used, every cotton wool swab, every needle, every plaster had a price. Before all this could even be used, she had to apply to her medical aid to see if they would pay for part of her life saving treatment. Phone calls, emails, texts, medial aid would try not to pay for anything.

Yes, thank god for our NHS.

gunsandbanjos

My daughter has several complex medical issues and being 100% honest without the nhs she wouldn't be alive today.

Yes we've had our issues along the way but the good most definitely outweighs the bad by a country mile.

Valli

marmitepotato wrote: »

Having watched my sister die of breast cancer in South Africa, I am so so grateful we have our NHS. My sister had to pay for every mortal thing that was used, every cotton wool swab, every needle, every plaster had a price. Before all this could even be used, she had to apply to her medical aid to see if they would pay for part of her life saving treatment. Phone calls, emails, texts, medial aid would try not to pay for anything.

Yes, thank god for our NHS.

The stress she was under must have been dreadful and cannot have helped.:(

We are so very lucky here.

marmitepotato

Valli wrote: »

The stress she was under must have been dreadful and cannot have helped.:(

We are so very lucky here.

Tremendous stress, she was so ill, but she had to ring her medical aid fom her hospital bed to ask if they would approve the next treatment (chemo etc). In the end she was so ill that my BIL had to do it and the medical aid didn't believe him! It took a lengthy call from the doctor (which my BIL had to pay for) for them to approve the administration of morphine to kill the pain whilst my sister was in the process of dying.


Seeing all this with my own eyes, makes me eternally grateful for the country we live in and for our FREE NHS. If my sister had lived here, she might have had a chance.

kingfisherblue

GwylimT, although my son was able to receive treatment in the UK, at Alder Hey in Liverpool, I am aware of how lucky he is. I hope everything goes well for your son

KFB xx

kingfisherblue

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

My daughter has several complex medical issues and being 100% honest without the nhs she wouldn't be alive today.

Yes we've had our issues along the way but the good most definitely outweighs the bad by a country mile.

I couldn't agree more. Two of the conditions that my son was born with mean that in the USA and Australia, he would have been 'allowed to die', as he also has Down's Syndrome - apparantly he would not have a good quality of life. Well, someone forgot to tell my little fella that part - he has a different quality of life than other teenagers, but I would say that it is a good quality for the most part. He has enjoyed Beavers, Cubs, and to a lesser extent Scouts. He loves Deaf Club. School is a pleasure for him, and he really loves to learn - especially if it is about animals .

He has a reasonable social life within the disabled children's community in our town, as myself and some other parents run a group for families like ours, arranging social activities for disabled children and their siblings. He loves his family and friends, and is loved dearly by us.

OK, so he is never likely to hold down a full time job, will probably never manage an adult relationship, and will need to be cared for for the rest of his life, but he is happy, and who can put a price on that?