Privatisation of the NHS
I hear many debates about the privatisation of the NHS, some make arguments that it would be good, others bad.
It is hard to know where to tread in this minefield. However, I am conscious, that any private company exists, mainly and solely to make a profit - unless of course it is a truly philanthropic company, but given that most companies have shareholders, and shareholders by and large care about making a few quid through the stock market, then to me the idea of private companies running parts of the NHS is an absolutely abhorrent idea to me.
Competition is the thing that is lauded. Competition is good.
Is is.
But in this captitalist and greedy culture we live in, that competition will seek to cut corners. It will either save costs through mergers, or cutting back of non-essential services. Employees, namely doctors (and most likely nurses) will have to work longer hours, more oncall hours, perhaps less pay reviews, less benefits, less investment in equipment.
The only way to make a profit is to spend less than what you earn. And the only way to achieve this is either to cut costs by increasing the commitment by staff, or by increasing prices. As this is quite impossible to do to the end user and NHS is run according to budgets, then guess what it's going to be?
There may be a certain argument that GP's should earn less, that it is their own greed that has created this mess.
However I support our doctors and nurses and acknowledge that they perform a difficult job and need to be rewarded appropriately (and worked less).
What I don't necessarily support is the wastage within the NHS in terms of unnecessary procedures and poor diagnosis - like my case when I had ruptured a quadriceps tendon, during my recovery, instead of being sent to a sports physio and getting well within six month, I was 3 years under the NHS with regular visits to the hospital including expensive MRI's.
I still think society needs to work out it's greed ambition - not everyone has that greed, but a lot of people in real power today while the rest of us plebs struggle to cope. And those with power who are greedy, encourage us to be greedy, because that's the only way out of our personal hell.
Forget privatisation which only exists to make a profit, and sort out the greed epidemic.
It is hard to know where to tread in this minefield. However, I am conscious, that any private company exists, mainly and solely to make a profit - unless of course it is a truly philanthropic company, but given that most companies have shareholders, and shareholders by and large care about making a few quid through the stock market, then to me the idea of private companies running parts of the NHS is an absolutely abhorrent idea to me.
Competition is the thing that is lauded. Competition is good.
Is is.
But in this captitalist and greedy culture we live in, that competition will seek to cut corners. It will either save costs through mergers, or cutting back of non-essential services. Employees, namely doctors (and most likely nurses) will have to work longer hours, more oncall hours, perhaps less pay reviews, less benefits, less investment in equipment.
The only way to make a profit is to spend less than what you earn. And the only way to achieve this is either to cut costs by increasing the commitment by staff, or by increasing prices. As this is quite impossible to do to the end user and NHS is run according to budgets, then guess what it's going to be?
There may be a certain argument that GP's should earn less, that it is their own greed that has created this mess.
However I support our doctors and nurses and acknowledge that they perform a difficult job and need to be rewarded appropriately (and worked less).
What I don't necessarily support is the wastage within the NHS in terms of unnecessary procedures and poor diagnosis - like my case when I had ruptured a quadriceps tendon, during my recovery, instead of being sent to a sports physio and getting well within six month, I was 3 years under the NHS with regular visits to the hospital including expensive MRI's.
I still think society needs to work out it's greed ambition - not everyone has that greed, but a lot of people in real power today while the rest of us plebs struggle to cope. And those with power who are greedy, encourage us to be greedy, because that's the only way out of our personal hell.
Forget privatisation which only exists to make a profit, and sort out the greed epidemic.
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