Rude Health

Hello dear readers!

I would like to dedicate some time this week to speak up in defence of a dear friend who has fallen on hard times. This stalwart ally has been with me through some of the very worst times in my life and, although we may have had our differences over the years my life today would be nothing if it wasn't for...


The NHS.

Yes that oft maligned institution is, and always will be, dear to my heart and the reasons for this should be fairly obvious. I am, as you may have suspected, a fairly frequent flyer with the health service and have been since I drew my first independent breath. My first operation was on that very first day and without it, well let's just say you wouldn’t be reading this blog right now.

Since then my stays in hospital, for one procedure or another, have reached double figures and my longest stay to date is nine months, seven of which were in a hip spica (imagine pot down the whole of one leg, half of the other, and half a broom handle between the knees. Lovely). These were not happy times by any means although strangely I do carry some fond memories with me. I guess over time the memory allows the bad to fade somewhat whilst the good sort of hangs in there, or is that just me?

Whatever the answer to that question is, it is true to say that every hospitalisation I've gone through have been at the hospitality of the good old National Health Service and most of them were designed to improve my quality of life. Sometimes it was one step back, two steps forward, but on the whole I would say this goal has been achieved. This is why the current state of Anuerin Bevan's beautiful idea saddens me more than I can say.

As I write, junior doctors are in the midst of a serious of strikes, a last recourse to the government’s plans to impose new contracts they feel would attack working conditions and potentially put patients’ lives at risk. It may seem that this is what they themselves are doing but crucially emergency care will be unaffected. All of this is taking place against a backdrop of increased use of private companies supplying the NHS and what appears to be a slowing down of government investment (as a percentage of GDP) in health services in the face of increased need. A real worry.

Now, my politics may veer to the left ever so slightly but for me the NHS is an establishment worth defending. The promise of healthcare free at the point of use regardless of wealth, status or class, is important. It becomes more and more important as one descends the socio-economic ladder especially for those suffering long term or chronic conditions and of course, my disabled brethren and sistren, seated or otherwise (especially when 'pre-existing conditions' are brought up).

The NHS may not be perfect, it may have fallen on hard times but in a world seemingly becoming more and more fractured I for one think now, more than ever it is something we should treasure.

Until next time...