[Home]   [Full version]  

Doctors: Britain's healthcare system sick

Apr 23 ,Medicine & Health


Britain's free healthcare system is a mirage, charges a report released Monday by leading doctors.

The report, published by Doctors for Reform, accuses the government of being in denial about the role of the private sector in Britain's healthcare system.

Faced with long waiting lists and lotteries for treatment, patients increasingly pay extra to upgrade the treatment they receive, said Doctors for Reform, which represents 1,000 British physicians.

The report condemns Britain's two-tier health system, where people with money have access to a variety of treatments and those without money do not, the London-based Telegraph reported.

"We need to face up to this rather than ignore it," the report said in calling for open debate about the future of healthcare funding in Britain.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Related stories:

Risks of increased access to over-the-counter medicines may outweigh benefits
The risks of increasing people’s access to over-the-counter medicines may outweigh the benefits, warn experts in this week’s BMJ.
Healthcare problems in Britain
A new report says one in four facilities operated by Britain's government-run National Health Service isn't complying with basic hygiene standards.
British healthcare may be rationed
Doctors in Britain are revealing for the first time that many health treatments will need to be rationed in the future.
Germans claim 'fattest Europeans' title
Germany has laid claim to the dubious distinction of being the most obese country in Europe, the International Association for the Study of Obesity reports.
Non-prescription pills draws controversy
A new plan in Britain that would allow birth control pills to be available for sale without prescription has some area doctors concerned, a report said.
Physical and sexual abuse linked to asthma in Puerto Rican kids
Children who are physically or sexually abused are more than twice as likely to have asthma as their peers, according to a recent study of urban children in Puerto Rico. In fact, physical and sexual abuse was second only to maternal asthma in all the risk factors tested, including paternal asthma and indicators of socioeconomic status.
Victims of Britain's tainted blood scandal speak
(AP) -- Robert Mackie trembles with rage when he describes how he and his wife were kept in the dark about his HIV infection - and how doctors published his medical data in journals years before they gave him the devastating news.
Austrian health researcher may face fraud, criminal charges
An Austrian government report charges that clinical trials conducted by researchers at a major medical school in Austria were riddled with procedural and ethical problems, the Nature Publishing Group said Monday.

News discussion:

Medicine & Health news

[Home]   [Full version]