![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Don't attack the NHS - that's our job...
Aug. 14th, 2009 10:12 amIt's one of those emails going around...
* * * An open letter to the President of the United States * * *
Dear Mr Obama,
On behalf of the NHS may we thank you and the American people for the
debate you have started about the relative merits of the health
systems on either side of the Atlantic?
Thank you, in particular, for dislodging swine flu from the top of the
news agenda for a few days. Frankly it has been boring most of us to
tears for weeks.
In Britain, we have a silly season every August during which
journalists are obliged to scrape the barrel for stories. Thanks to
your rather vague policy announcement and the furore it has caused,
they will be spared the trouble.
You will have noticed tempers running high on all sides of this
debate. That is because there is nothing that excites the public quite
as much as the issue of health. People care about the economy, the
environment and foreign affairs, but if it’s sheer passion you’re
after, you can’t beat a story about a postcode lottery for cancer
drugs, patients doing DIY dental work with a pair of Mole-grips or the
closure of a cottage hospital.
No doubt you were surprised or even shocked at the reaction of your
fellow Americans and their quaint misconceptions about the NHS. That
most moderate and sensible of politicians, Sarah Palin, decried the
NHS model as ‘downright evil’. The BBC reported on a town hall meeting
in Maryland where some people bore placards depicting you with a
toothbrush moustache of the kind favoured by the mid 20th century
health reformer Adolf Hitler.
One man pointed out that the Nazis had started in a similar fashion,
and that their agenda soon moved from health reforms to the annexation
of Poland and the invasion of Europe. While we doubt this is your
direction of travel it’s only fair to mention that it didn’t turn out
to be a vote winner for the Third Reich.
May we particularly congratulate the Investors Business Daily which
made the bizarre claim that ‘people such as scientist Stephen Hawking
wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service
would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical
handicaps, is essentially worthless’ -- a claim only undermined by the
facts that Professor Hawking is a) British and b) alive.
The point is that if you want to whip up the British public into a
state of concentrated outrage, you can’t do better than to attack one
of our national treasures. And if you really want to make them mad,
pick on one in a wheelchair.
Similarly, nothing could be calculated to rally support behind the NHS
like an attack by a bunch of ill-informed foreigners. Americans are
making a big mistake if they think that we allow just anyone to
criticise the NHS. That’s a right we reserve for ourselves and
frankly, Mr President, we get pretty peeved when anyone tries to take
it away from us.
Politicians of all hues would also like to express their gratitude to
the American people for giving them the opportunity to make heartfelt
political capital from the situation. Our prime minister, his wife,
the leader of the opposition, the health secretary and his Tory shadow
have all posted robust messages support for the NHS on Twitter. There
is palpable relief that the media spotlight has swung away from
expenses scandals and the dire state of the public finances. So,
thanks again.
The US health budget is $2.5 trillion – which if you are not familiar
with really big numbers is 2,500 billion. Analyse the figures and you
will see that the per capita cost of healthcare in the US is roughly
twice that of the UK. It may rise a bit higher if you exclude the
millions of Americans without health insurance. You may also be aware
that in a report from the World Health Organisation about preventable
deaths from health interventions the US came twentieth in a league
table of 20 countries.
We can see therefore why you might feel that it’s worth making a few
changes. Good luck with that.
Meanwhile, please feel free to encourage Americans to continue to make
invidious and inaccurate comparisons between your system and the NHS.
It’s having a tremendously positive effect on our morale.
Yours faithfully
The National Health Service*
* For readers suffering for conditions affecting the sense of humour,
we should point out that this letter is not officially endorsed by the
staff or leadership of the NHS.
* * * An open letter to the President of the United States * * *
Dear Mr Obama,
On behalf of the NHS may we thank you and the American people for the
debate you have started about the relative merits of the health
systems on either side of the Atlantic?
Thank you, in particular, for dislodging swine flu from the top of the
news agenda for a few days. Frankly it has been boring most of us to
tears for weeks.
In Britain, we have a silly season every August during which
journalists are obliged to scrape the barrel for stories. Thanks to
your rather vague policy announcement and the furore it has caused,
they will be spared the trouble.
You will have noticed tempers running high on all sides of this
debate. That is because there is nothing that excites the public quite
as much as the issue of health. People care about the economy, the
environment and foreign affairs, but if it’s sheer passion you’re
after, you can’t beat a story about a postcode lottery for cancer
drugs, patients doing DIY dental work with a pair of Mole-grips or the
closure of a cottage hospital.
No doubt you were surprised or even shocked at the reaction of your
fellow Americans and their quaint misconceptions about the NHS. That
most moderate and sensible of politicians, Sarah Palin, decried the
NHS model as ‘downright evil’. The BBC reported on a town hall meeting
in Maryland where some people bore placards depicting you with a
toothbrush moustache of the kind favoured by the mid 20th century
health reformer Adolf Hitler.
One man pointed out that the Nazis had started in a similar fashion,
and that their agenda soon moved from health reforms to the annexation
of Poland and the invasion of Europe. While we doubt this is your
direction of travel it’s only fair to mention that it didn’t turn out
to be a vote winner for the Third Reich.
May we particularly congratulate the Investors Business Daily which
made the bizarre claim that ‘people such as scientist Stephen Hawking
wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service
would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical
handicaps, is essentially worthless’ -- a claim only undermined by the
facts that Professor Hawking is a) British and b) alive.
The point is that if you want to whip up the British public into a
state of concentrated outrage, you can’t do better than to attack one
of our national treasures. And if you really want to make them mad,
pick on one in a wheelchair.
Similarly, nothing could be calculated to rally support behind the NHS
like an attack by a bunch of ill-informed foreigners. Americans are
making a big mistake if they think that we allow just anyone to
criticise the NHS. That’s a right we reserve for ourselves and
frankly, Mr President, we get pretty peeved when anyone tries to take
it away from us.
Politicians of all hues would also like to express their gratitude to
the American people for giving them the opportunity to make heartfelt
political capital from the situation. Our prime minister, his wife,
the leader of the opposition, the health secretary and his Tory shadow
have all posted robust messages support for the NHS on Twitter. There
is palpable relief that the media spotlight has swung away from
expenses scandals and the dire state of the public finances. So,
thanks again.
The US health budget is $2.5 trillion – which if you are not familiar
with really big numbers is 2,500 billion. Analyse the figures and you
will see that the per capita cost of healthcare in the US is roughly
twice that of the UK. It may rise a bit higher if you exclude the
millions of Americans without health insurance. You may also be aware
that in a report from the World Health Organisation about preventable
deaths from health interventions the US came twentieth in a league
table of 20 countries.
We can see therefore why you might feel that it’s worth making a few
changes. Good luck with that.
Meanwhile, please feel free to encourage Americans to continue to make
invidious and inaccurate comparisons between your system and the NHS.
It’s having a tremendously positive effect on our morale.
Yours faithfully
The National Health Service*
* For readers suffering for conditions affecting the sense of humour,
we should point out that this letter is not officially endorsed by the
staff or leadership of the NHS.
