[MD] Low quality health care

[Platt Holden]

Hi All,

>From today's front page story in the UK's well regarded newspaper, "The 
Independent:"

"Whistleblower: Surgeon breaks cover over NHS beds crisis"

"Specialist wards full to breaking point. Patients with serious injuries 
denied care. A health service paralysed by arguments about funding. Martin 
Bircher, one of Britain's most senior consultants, speaks out. Exclusive 
report by Andrew Johnson and Marie Woolf"
Published: 29 July 2007

"One of Britain's leading trauma surgeons has broken cover to expose the 
scandal of a national shortage of emergency trauma beds which is leading 
to thousands of serious injury victims suffering in agony.

"In an unprecedented intervention by a senior practitioner in the NHS, 
Martin Bircher, a consultant at St George's hospital in London, one of 
Europe's leading centres in the treatment of major accident victims, has 
revealed a system paralysed by red tape and disputes over funding, which 
is putting thousands of patients waiting for treatment in specialist wards 
at risk.

"His revelations have prompted calls for a review of funding for A&E 
services and a shake-up in the management of Britain's leading trauma 
centres.

"Mr Bircher says the problem is worsened by the bureaucracy of the 
internal market. He has become so frustrated that he has broken free of 
NHS strictures against speaking to the press and agreed to talk to The 
Independent on Sunday about the suffering patients are put through.

"Every one of Britain's specialist trauma beds is full, which means some 
patients can wait up to three weeks after their accident before badly 
broken bones can be repaired. The delay, says Mr Bircher, can jeopardise 
recovery. With nothing but praise for frontline staff, he says patients 
who have been critically injured in road or other accidents have to wait 
an average of 12 days - often in agonising pain - before they can receive 
the vital specialist treatment."

For the rest of the story, see:

http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2814751.ece

Universal health care for the U.S.? Thanks, but no thanks.

Platt