Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
INTRODUCTION
Healthcare is an integral concept in our society it is, therefore, a primary talking point in every debate and conversation. With a population of over 66 million people, the United Kingdom’s health care system is a critical area if messed with may mean career suicide. So important it is, that every significant political outfit has its plan and policies to tackle it. Informed by the above it is essential to realise that the National Health Service (NHS), cannot provide services to the people of the kingdom in isolation. Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS? Privately owned hospitals and healthcare facilities have emerged to capitalise on the gap left behind by the national healthcare provider. Various factors such as quality of service, type of ailment, charges for services among others are vital in influencing the choice of facility (Resnick, 2012). Only 8% of Britons prefer to seek their medical attention in private facilities. These show the task at hand and responsibilities bestowed upon the service. Being a state formed institution the National Health Service offers stiff competition to the private firms due to its benefits of tax exemptions, subsidies and many others. Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
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Essay Topic- Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
BODY.
Economics is an essential area when considering the choice of health care. The National Health Service provides free and affordable treatment to all United Kingdom citizens. Prescription charges are exact to standard rates across all countries. The provider consequently offers transfers where a Northern Ireland citizen, for instance, can access the same medical care in England as they do back in their country with no extra costs (Hanefeld et al, 2017). The treatment gets facilitated by the same level of doctors, and through shared information through the electronic patient care, the doctors in every facility can view your medical history not requiring a family member or spouse to explain it to them. It is important to note that this has led to avoidance of the wrong prognosis by lazy doctors who speculate and do not perform adequate tests. The same scenario in private institutions, a patient has to incur huge fees to access treatment. Expenses such as consultation fees, waived at public facilities are present and required before treatment commences. In an instance of a transfer to another facility for a specific medication, one is required to incur much more. These, therefore, are additional constraints to an ailing patient which are avoidable by moving them to a public facility Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
It is worth noting that the social classes are used to determine where one is to seek medication. The well-resourced in the society are more likely to visit private institutions where they get catered for by their insurance cover, or because they can pay whatever amount incurred. Here they avoid long ques in public facilities. Overcrowding in the public institutions may lead to spread of contagious diseases just by visiting the health facility (Cohen et al, 2013). It is important to note that the survival rates for an incoming patient at the National Health Service dropped in 2005 – 2009 while in other countries such as Germany they increased. These imply that the quality of service offered is not sufficient. Cost-effectiveness evaluated above is without a doubt a great idea. However, availability of drugs is a headache. Patients always complain that they lack the prescribed medication. These facilities run through taxes payers’ money. It is, therefore, an injustice to heavily tax an individual to cater for his medical bills only to send him to the pharmacy with a prescription to purchase drugs. Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
Specialized health care is a factor to consider as one chooses the healthcare provider. With the emergence of chronic diseases such as cancers and heart ailments, patients need to evaluate on where they will get the needed help. In the case of cancer, which is incurable (Duncan et al, 2017). Early detection and treatment are essential to avoid losing lives Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS? Heart ailments and brain complications also require specific and quickly operations to save a life. It is my stand that with this illnesses the National Health Service is not the way to go. When one access a private health facility with the above diseases, immediate care begins. Surgery, therapy whatever is required, doctors are on standby to attend to the patients. There are no lines or complicated procedures that hinder one to access these services in time. For example, when one visits the National Health Service, and they require a set of specialised treatment, they get referred to another institution. These show that if it were a life and death situation, probably the individual would pass away moving to another medical facility. It is a matter common knowledge that the public institutions refer patients to private facilities. These imply or is an interpretation of their admission to inadequacy in providing specialised care, insufficiency in staffing among many other issues.
CONCLUSION
From the above, a variety of factors affect the choice of where to be treated. Economics, societal status, health condition and many others. When one is sick family, friends and colleagues pray that you get well to proceed with daily duties. However, seeking medical attention at the National Health Service seems like a gamble with one’s life. Private institutions may charge higher, but their quality of service is without a doubt (Honeyford et al, 2017). You get a proper room, proper food even the doctor has the time to concentrate on individual ailments. These increase the chances of a stubborn disease detection and treatment in advance. In public institutions several doctors will access you through shifts, chances of the wrong prognosis are high. Not forgetting that strikes in public facilities are almost imminent. Therefore, considering the two and the quality of service offered and giving credit where it is due, it is only reasonable for a United Kingdom citizen to seek medication in a private facility (Park et al 2017). Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
References
Cohen, A., Freeborn, B., & McManus, B. (2013). COMPETITION AND CROWDING OUT IN THE MARKET FOR OUTPATIENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT* COMPETITION AND CROWDING OUT IN THE MARKET FOR OUTPATIENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT. International Economic Review, 54(1), 159-184. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2354.2012.00729.x
Duncan, M., Deane, J., White, P. D., Ridge, D., Roylance, R., Korszun, A., & … SURECAN, i. (2017). A survey to determine usual care after cancer treatment within the United Kingdom national health service. BMC Cancer, 171-9. doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3172-1
Hanefeld, J., Smith, R., Horsfall, D., & Lunt, N. (2014). What Do We Know About Medical Tourism? A Review of the Literature With Discussion of Its Implications for the UK National Health Service as an Example of a Public Health Care System. Journal Of Travel Medicine, 21(6), 410-417. doi:10.1111/jtm.12147 Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?
Honeyford, K., Greaves, F., Aylin, P., & Bottle, A. (2017). Secondary analysis of hospital patient experience scores across England’s National Health Service – How much has improved since 2005?. Plos ONE, 12(10), 1-11. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187012
Park, J. J., McKee, M., & Atun, R. (2017). Brexit: Severe Risks to Britain’s National Health Service. American Journal Of Public Health, 107(10), 1594-1596. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.30401
Resnick, S., & Griffiths, M. (2012). Delivering Service Quality in Alcohol Treatment: A Qualitative Comparison of Public and Private Treatment Centres by Service Users and Service Providers. International Journal Of Mental Health & Addiction, 10(2), 185-196. doi:10.1007/s11469-011-9314-9 Is it better for patients in the UK to seek treatment privately or on the NHS?