Healthy British Socialists

One million Britons are currently waiting for care—400,000 who have waited over a year—and with limited physicians and equipment, 100,000 operations are cancelled every year.

In Sweden, the average wait for heart surgery is 5 months. If a Swede needs a hip replacement, they will most likely wait over a year. In response to budgetary problems and poor fund allocation, surgeries are delayed and treatments are rationed through a triage system. Physicians under socialized health care work much like medics in World War II: Should we treat the guy who’s missing an arm or the guy who’s missing a leg? Because we sure as heck aren’t treating both!

In England and Scotland, the wait for cataract surgery is 8 months, for hip surgery 11 months, and for knee replacement surgery 12 months. Bed shortages are also a problem. Because hospitals are short on midwives and beds, thousands of women give birth outside maternity wards (hallways, office rooms, etc.), while some are turned away altogether because hospitals are at full capacity.

The NHS Information Centre reports that 850,000 diabetics in England, or sixty percent, do not receive proper care. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends diabetics have routine checks of cholesterol, body mass, and blood sugar levels, none of which are carried out on a consistent basis.
A study by Glasgow University revealed that 464,000 people in Scotland have died over the past 30 years, due to rationing and long waiting lists. “The vast majority of people—around 250,000—who died due to inadequate or delayed treatment were heart or stroke patients”, the study cited.

Orthodontic treatment in Great Britain is substandard, and is only free for individuals under 18 years old who have a “clear clinical need for treatment”. Because NHS dentists are scarce, children have been known to wait up to four years to get braces.

BBC News reports, “In the east Midlands town of Northhampton 2000 children are waiting for treatment as there are only four dentists who specialize in fitting braces. Not all dentists have the necessary skills to be able to treat cases satisfactorily.” According to the official NHS website, Britons wait an average of 6 to 18 months for orthodontic treatment, of which many receive improper care. Ever wonder why the British are known for having bad teeth?

Waiting lists even apply to orthodontic emergencies, a common one being dental abscesses. If you have a dental abscess, the NHS website recommends not to see a doctor but to control the pain with over-the-counter painkillers. If you have ever had an abscessed tooth you would understand why waiting is not an option.

Arthur Haupt was in excruciating pain. After seeing a dentist for a severe gum infection, the doctor told him he would have to wait three weeks for treatment. But Arthur could not wait this long. As an ex-soldier, he used a barbaric technique he learned in the army to pull out seven of his own teeth.

67-year old Valerie Holsworth also resorted to DIY dentistry to relieve an insufferable toothache. Using beer and whisky as an anesthetic, she fetched a pair of her husband’s pliers and gave her tooth a good yank. Afterwards she told a reporter, “I’m not a masochist but the job needed doing. It is just a matter of tugging and wiggling until the root comes loose.”