Can’t say I’m even slightly surprised that NHS hospitals are turning out to be places you go to die, not places you go to get better:

More than 3,000 patients have died ‘unexpectedly’ in just five NHS trusts in the past two years.

The
five are among nearly 20 hospitals facing inspections over concerns
that thousands of patients are dying needlessly, it was revealed last
night.

David Cameron has ordered an investigation into standards of care at trusts where death rates are persistently high.

In addition, he outlined plans for performance-related pay for doctors, nurses and managers based on their level of care.

He
made the announcements on the day the author of the report into one of
the Stafford hospital scandals warned a similar outrage could happen
again.

The five hospitals
which will be inspected are Basildon and Thurrock, Colchester, Tameside,
Blackpool and East Lancashire, where death rates have been persistently
high over the past two years…

 Mr Cameron also took the unprecedented
step of apologising to the families of patients who suffered ‘horrific
abuse’ at the trust.

He said: ‘This public inquiry not only
repeats earlier findings but also shows wider systemic failings . . .
so I would like to go further as Prime Minister and apologise to the
families of all those who have suffered for the way that the system
allowed such horrific abuse to go unchecked and unchallenged for so
long.
‘On behalf of the Government – and indeed our country – I am truly sorry.’Mr Cameron announced that hospital
chief executives and chairmen could be sacked if patients say their
trust’s care is poor. At present, senior managers are usually sacked
only if their trust gets into debt or if they miss targets.The Prime Minister also confirmed that
healthcare assistants – untrained nurses – would be subject to new
minimum standards and better training. This autumn, he will appoint a
chief inspector of hospitals who will be responsible for checking they
are clean, safe and caring, in the same way as schools inspectors check
educational standards.

It so happens that I went to university in the UK, so I have some understanding of how the NHS works. I distinctly remember my first of three encounters with an unknown and rather irritatingly persistent stomach bug that got serious enough to send me to a doctor for treatment. I remember walking over to the University of London Hospital- and being shocked at how dirty, dimly lit, and poorly organised the place was. I promptly turned around and walked away; that was NOT was a hospital should look like.

One of the facets of British culture that has always puzzled me exceedingly is their tenacious defence of their government-run health care system. It’s provably less effective than more privatised options. It’s vastly expensive to the British taxpayer. Its results are dismal, and this article from the Daily Mail is but the latest in a series of recent scandals about the NHS that shows how poorly the system is run and how dangerous it’s become. The British consider “free” government health care to be one of their greatest national achievements, yet they have yet to stop and consider the true cost of “free” medicine.

As for you Americans, make no mistake- if you let this happen to your country, and because Americans (at least in the Northeast) tend to be suckers for the “compassion” argument, I have a strong suspicion that you will, do not then be surprised when your oldest and weakest start dying in droves because of poor or non-existent care. Yeah, your healthcare system is absurdly expensive- but it’s gotten that way because of government intervention, not in spite of it. And you have no one to blame but yourselves for that fact. You voted for this. You permitted this. And now you will pay the price for it. Just like the British are doing now.