The NHS is gambling with patients’ health by increasingly banning operations for hernias, cataracts and arthritic joints to save money, one of the UK’s most senior medical figures said .

John Black, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, accused NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) of pursuing a “dangerous” course by refusing treatment to patients, who will then suffer unnecessary pain and have less chance of recovering fully.

The NHS in England needs to save £20bn by 2014-15 as part of an efficiency drive. Black said increasing numbers of trusts are postponing or axing provision of dozens of elective surgical procedures, including those for gallstones and tonsil and adenoid problems.

When you don’t control the payment for services, you can’t possibly control the commissioning thereof.This means you are at the mercy of a bureaucrat as to what they feel you should and shouldn’t receive in the way of health care.

Remember, the UK offers “free” gastric banding and “free” sex change operations. Perhaps there’s an argument for the former in that it might save a life, but the latter? Nope. No more than a boob job would.

Here in Canada’s largest city, I’m now on my 15th month of waiting to have my gallbladder out. Will it kill me? Not unless it gets infected or become gangrenous. Does it affect my quality of life? You bet it does. I lose sleep, I cut my throat with my nails, forcing myself to vomit when the pain comes. In different circumstances, I might become addicted to pain medication, as morphine and other opiates are usually given to treat attacks.

It’s easy to say “If you’re not happy, go to the US and pay for it!” which I would happily do, were it not for the exorbitant taxes taken out of my pay to fund second-rate service.

Whatever your country, whatever your financial situation, you should be able to control what happens to your body, and not be at the mercy of a pencil pusher.

The quality of a nation’s health care isn’t just based on whether or not you get through emergency triage with chest pains (you do, and damn fast). There are also the non-essential surgeries and treatments that effect quality of life.

• hip replacement
• knee and ligament surgery (no point touting the keep fit model if we can’t fix a meniscal tear from running)
• gallbladder removal
• cataract surgery

These non-essential (in that you won’t die if you don’t get them) surgeries can seriously make the difference between being addicted to oxycontin or leading a normal life.

In October 2009 I presented with pain in my right side, which was due to a gallbladder inflammation. I have gall stones. Have, not had. Specifically, I have biliary colic. A couple of times a month this useless organ flares up and cripples me for a 5 hour joyride of unbearable pain. Back in November 2009, after all the ultrasounds had been done, my doctor referred me to General Surgery (I suspect he’s only a two-star). I waited. I waited some more. I forgot about the referral most of the time, except for the days when I would roll around clutching my side and crying. In May 2010 I received the letter from Surgery. I had an appointment! Yay!

For September, 2010.

Last Friday I saw the surgeon, and we agreed this pesky organ would have to come out. Had it been a fetus, I could have had it removed long ago, but with an actual life-altering illness, you’re kinda fucked. Anyway, I’m having surgery: In April 2011.

Before those of you in America who wish you could get everything on the taxpayer dime wax poetic about socialized health care, I suggest you think about how long you’d like to live with bad hips. Or a bad back. Or eyes with shmutz on them. Or a screwed knee. Or an organ you never should have been born with in the first place, thereby proving that evolution is totally questionable.

Thanks for clicking on ads and purchasing through my Amazon links. If you’re clickin, I can buy chicken!

The UK has decided that Avastin, the drug used to treat and prolong the life of cancer sufferers, can’t be used. Despite the fact that almost every other civilized country in the world offers this drug to cancer patients, the UK has seen fit to ban it.

However, the Government rationing body NICE ruled yesterday that it must stay banned because it is too expensive.

Palin might be nutty as Grandma’s Christmas fruitcake, but it doesn’t mean she’s wrong.

Ah, the NHS, a favorite mutt to kick around at this site. As a Canadian who lived in Britain, I just don’t see the appeal of wholly subsidized single-payer health care. Yes, there will always be people in the lowest income brackets that will need care, and money shouldn’t be an object in treating them. But for most people, paying for personal health should be no different than having the car tuned up or taking the dog to the vet.

Alas, liberals believe we should all suffer together in silent gratitude. And when they get their way, governments run out of money.

An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has uncovered widespread cuts planned across the NHS, many of which have already been agreed by senior health service officials. They include:

* Restrictions on some of the most basic and common operations, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and orthodontic procedures.

* Plans to cut hundreds of thousands of pounds from budgets for the terminally ill, with dying cancer patients to be told to manage their own symptoms if their condition worsens at evenings or weekends.

* The closure of nursing homes for the elderly.

* A reduction in acute hospital beds, including those for the mentally ill, with targets to discourage GPs from sending patients to hospitals and reduce the number of people using accident and emergency departments.

* Tighter rationing of NHS funding for IVF treatment, and for surgery for obesity.

* Thousands of job losses at NHS hospitals, including 500 staff to go at a trust where cancer patients recently suffered delays in diagnosis and treatment because of staff shortages.

* Cost-cutting programmes in paediatric and maternity services, care of the elderly and services that provide respite breaks to long-term carers.

Of course, in a single-payer system, there is no alternative for those who can afford to go outside the system. The system is all there is. Which means that people will suffer unnecessarily. If the high income brackets could pay their own way to get immediate care, the lower income people wouldn’t be on such a long waiting list, meaning the UK wouldn’t need as many government-funded service providers.

But common sense isn’t a liberal strong suit, and a lot of people will suffer under these cuts. Government money doesn’t come from an endless pot of leprechaun gold, you know.

In Canada in 1990, my mother was brought to the hospital in extreme pain in her shoulder and upper back. She was not given an ECG to check for a heart attack. She was given Demerol and diagnosed with menopausal depression. Five months later she died of lung cancer.

In the UK, a woman slightly younger than my mother was when she was ill died of a heart attack after being given a muscle relaxant and sent home.

Miss Hicks, 40, whose parents both died of heart attacks in their forties, had visited the Rowcroft Medical Centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on May 8 last year complaining of chest pain.

She saw Dr Waldon who diagnosed muscular pain and stress and prescribed painkillers and anti inflammatories, the Gloucester inquest was told.

On June 3 she saw Dr Holmes, complaining of shoulder pain. He prescribed her anti-inflammatories and sleeping pills.

She returned to see him on June 11 with chest and shoulder pain. He told the inquest she was not pale, sweaty or short of breath and her heart sounded normal so he prescribed pain killers and she left ‘apparently happy.’

But after going straight to Tesco to collect the prescription she collapsed and died two hours later at the children’s home where she worked.

In 2012 and beyond, expect stories like this one to creep into American campaigning.

Mrs Stokes, a retired hairdresser, was left paralysed down the left side of her body by the stroke and unable to speak.

The only time they didn’t go and visit Mrs Stokes was when her ward was in isolation following a stomach bug outbreak and visiting hours were restricted.

But when they were finally allowed into the ward, they were left stunned by the conditions Mrs Stokes had been left in.

She added: ‘We finally walked in and my daughter said what is that under her arm? We lifted it up and she was covered in her own diarrhoea.

‘She was paralysed and couldn’t call for help. This was after 3pm in the afternoon and the last time she had been checked was at 9am.’

Just 24 hours later the family found a stricken Mrs Stokes’ foot trapped between bed posts caused by a faulty bed pump.

It was not known how long she was trapped and had to be freed by the matron.

Mrs Chambers added: ‘I think dogs are treated better than my mother was. She was left in a pond of her own filth. Worse than an animal.

‘The nurses were so overworked they haven’t the time to be compassionate.

‘It’s so sad she was in a terrible state. My mum was 84, she was a really lively woman and was well-loved.

‘They gave out food but left it out of reach of patients. You are lying there, hungry, you can’t move because you’ve had a stroke and there is food just out of reach.

‘We were warned not to feed them but you can’t just sit there and watch.

‘My daughter and I were endlessly helping out other patients.

‘I’ve grown up with the National Health Service I’m just praying I don’t get ill.’

A lovely picture of socialized health, painted in shit. Don’t feed the animals.

Ah, the National Health Service. Putting patient care first, every time.

Except this one:

A nurse gave a bed-ridden patient a mop and bucket and told him to clean up his own urine, a hearing was told today.

The 73-year-old man told the Nursing and Midwifery Council he was ‘taken aback and shocked’ at Isabel Michaels’ request.

He said he at first he thought she was ‘having a laugh’ but when he saw the look on her face he realised she was serious.

The old dude, after surgery, asks for a bedpan. He buzzes and buzzes for a nurse. No one comes, and he pisses himself. That’s humiliating enough. But to be handed a mop and bucket to clean his own shame; that’s just public health care.

Much like me being at the Lakeshore General in Montreal on a frosty first of November by the open ambulance bay. I begged for a blanket, but was routinely ignored. Eventually, realizing the poor shmuck on the cot next to mine was dead, I got up and stole his blanket. Let’s face it - he wasn’t going to get any warmer.

ObamaCare isn’t socialized - yet. It’s instead a sop to the insurance companies. Regardless, levels of patient care will decrease, costs will be cut in care and cleaning, and people will be left to clean their own piss (or have their families do it, as I indicated here).

Which is something I hardly ever do.

When the health care law passed, I offered up some tips and tricks for surviving ObamaCare. In the final installment, I address the dreaded Death Panels of Doom, over at Eric Morris.

Go. Read. Comment.

Yesterday I provided tips on how to survive the cuts and scrapes that would normally take you to the emergency room. Today, let’s talk about surgery.

Unless it’s a dire emergency*, expect to wait up to a year for surgery. Things like hip, back and knee, cataracts and gall bladders are down at the bottom of the list. In the meantime, if pain becomes unmanageable, seek out mass quantities of oxycontin (this works for liberals and conservatives alike *Rush*). Rehab will now be free, so don’t worry about addiction.

Ok, so let’s say you win the surgery lottery and your faithful spouse drives you to the hospital the morning of. Here are some things you’ll need to know.

• Unless you are on a ventilator or traction, you will be discharged within an hour of waking up. For those of you with family members on ventilators, stay tuned for my upcoming “death panel” post about “the conversation”
• The above applies to surgery, births, C-sections, abortions and biopsies
• Have someone there to drive you home
• Have someone stay with you for the first 48 hours in case of massive bleeding or unconsciousness.
• Have that oxy prescription in hand for the pain
• For women who have aborted, miscarried or given birth: you’re not done passing things yet. Don’t panic, it’s natural. Have heavy pads on hand, drink rosehip tea to reduce cramping, and have a hot water bottle to reduce pain. Take aspirin for the inflammation, and check your temperature every hour for signs of infection. Should you become infected, go to a different hospital than the one you were “bounced**” from.
• Neosporin is your friend. Apply to sutures and cover with clean gauze twice daily. Yes, you have to buy your own supplies, as discussed yesterday. Expect minor infection in suture site. Lance with one of your trusty x-actos (be careful not to cut the stitches!!), wash with hot water, and apply neosporin. Let dry freely before applying gauze, unless to do so would create a bigger problem.
• If you have had any type of orthopedic surgery, hope to hell you don’t have a massive wait list for rehab. Try booking your first appointment in advance of your scheduled surgery.

Glossary:

*Emergency: You’ve been a terrible accident or had a heart attack. These traumas are still treated immediately. Or, you have a life-threatening illness combined with a massive tax bill, and it’s almost April. you will be treated to ensure the IRS gets their money.

**Bounced: Hospitals have metrics to adhere to. How fast they can push you out the door is part of it. They strive to make you someone else’s problem, because if you die there, you mess up their mortality metric. Despite the fact that your surgical history remains at hospital A, it is probably best to seek emergency care at hospital B. They will then begin a new timeline for you, and bounce you out ASAP.

Note: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. I have merely lived in Canada my whole life. I’ve buried two parents (one of whom was diagnosed with menopausal depression, when in fact she had lung cancer).  I know from which I speak. Normally i would suggest speaking to your family doctor about the above advice, but he has left his practice to take up plastics.

UPDATE!! Two stories about “bouncing” out of the UK.

Ambulance crews are offered £200 prize for taking patients to a GP instead of hospital

In the bizarre staff ‘incentive scheme’, emergency crews working for South Central Ambulance Service were given the chance to enter a raffle and win £200 of store vouchers - but only if they used a GP triage service designed to reduce the number of patients taken to hospital.

Patient safety ‘at risk’ as A&E doctors make hurried decisions to beat four-hour time target

He said there were examples of patients being moved out of casualty departments to ‘anywhere’ in a hospital where there was a bed, so the ‘clock stops ticking’.

I woke up this morning to discover that America desperately wants to be Canada. For the life of me I can’t understand why. Personally, I think Americans ought to be storming the gates. Enough with the homemade banners and “don’t tread on me” - that’s for amateurs. It’s time to actually lock the sons o’bitches out of the White house and Capitol.

Paul over at Liberal Smash is pissed. Claims he’s not going to pay taxes again. I hope he sticks to it, but I have a feeling it’s all bluster at this point. People are emotional. The thing is, threats mean nothing if you don’t carry them out.

The Closet Conservative is Canadian, and Americans would do well to pay attention to us. We’ve lived with this blight for decades. We know what you’re in for.

So Americans, here’s a few tips, from one “free” “health” “care” sucker to another:

• Expand your home first aid kit to include a defibrillator, gallons of rubbing alcohol, ether if you can get your hands on it, and a dozen brand-new, sparkling clean x-acto knives
• Learn to give stitches
• Get over any squeamishness about lancing boils or any other messy-but-simple procedures - you’re on your own now
• Keep enough cold medicine on hand, and don’t run to the doctor for sore throats
• Learn to recognize dangerous childhood diseases like meningitis and appendicitis, because publicly paid doctors usually skip that course, especially if they were trained in Cameroon
• Locate your nearest large animal veterinarian, and pay them well to take x-rays and MRIs

As a final tip, should a loved-one go into hospital, bring cleaning supplies. Most people don’t realize that the first area to be cut back are the cleaning staff. Be on-hand as an advocate for your loved one at all times. This may mean taking a leave of absence, which could cost you your home, but hey - in Obamaland those things can’t happen. Right?

by Art Lindsey III

President Obama declared Wednesday night on ABC News that without healthcare reform the federal government would go bankrupt.

“If we don’t pass it, here’s the guarantee: the people who are watching tonight, your premiums will go up, your employers are going to load up more costs on you. Potentially they’re going to drop your coverage, because they just can’t afford an increase of 25 percent, 30 percent in terms of the costs of providing health care to employees each and every year. “And the federal government will go bankrupt.”

Well, I’ve got news for the president and everybody else out there who hasn’t been paying attention:

The federal government is bankrupt. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have to keep mortgaging our future to China and amassing a debt which has ballooned to an amount in the double-digit trillions. When you couple that with the printing rampage we’ve been on, how is it that anybody can say we will run out of money when we obviously already have? The motto of our government seems to be “Spend all you want, we’ll make more”.

Frankly, this has become a rather tiresome ruse. The idea that government knows anything about making or keeping businesses competitive is laughable. There isn’t a business on the planet that can compete with the federal government when it comes to resources.

Notice that “resources” is the key. No one is talking about quality, here. Everyone knows that the government is an inefficient, bumbling mess, no matter who is in charge, and it clearly doesn’t have to turn a profit. That alone makes it an unstoppable juggernaut. Businesses must turn a profit to survive. If they don’t, they go away. (Well, they used to before all the bailout junk started, but you get the idea.) The government seemly operates above all concepts of economics and logic, so in reality, President Obama’s argument is nothing short of a joke.

This whole discussion is rife with myths. Yes, there is a lot of money tied up in the medical insurance industry. But the truth is that people always look at the wrong number. While the large, zero-laden numbers look good at the end of the day, they don’t really mean anything. The number that everybody seems to ignore when they decide to demonize a particular business is that of the profit margin.

Now, in case you don’t know, the profit margin or the medical insurance industry is about two percent. Knowing that, there is no way an unbiased observer of the situation could accuse the medical insurance industry of being anti-competitive. A two percent profit margin would just be barely keeping one’s head above water.

If the federal government was so into competition in business why doesn’t it do more to relieve the financial burdens on businesses, like slashing our inflated corporate tax, and/or eliminating the capital gains tax? Furthermore, in the case of health care, why can’t our health policies be made portable, and why Americans buy a policy in any state that they choose? This would drastically expand every company’s potential client pool, and because of that, logic dictates that prices will come down. This is a basic component of our market economy. However, it has become quite clear that our government has no interest in that.

Isn’t it interesting how the Obama administration constantly touts job creation, yet it is hell-bent on interfering with an industry which makes up about one-sixth of our economy? Health care insurance providers will be unable to compete with a bureaucratic monolith that can continually give itself a blank check with which to operate. The private companies will fail, which will put many people out of work. Wait a minute. What about all that ‘job creation’ that Obama is so good at? Perhaps the only ones that really count in his mind are handful of prison guard jobs that will be created when he moves the Gitmo detainees to Illinois. Who knows at this point?

Continuing on, when you put a lot of people out of work, a domino-effect begins. They have to file for unemployment, which is funded by taxpayers. However, that’s just a tiny part of it. The real damage begins when the reality of this program begins to take hold. Providing quality, universal healthcare for a nation of over 300 million people is a financial impossibility, especially when you factor in our government’s penchant for waste. The tax burden required to feed the beast will balloon out of control, and the end result will be that corporations and workers will be so badly shackled by the government that the drive to produce will be lost. If such a thing ever happens, its game over, people. Welcome to the collapse of the United States of America.

All of that aside, the true answer to this manufactured “crisis” is personal responsibility. The fact is that most of the uninsured could obtain a health insurance policy at a reasonable price if they wanted to. Quality policies are available at prices less than $100 a month, and can be shopped for and purchased online as we speak. While it is true that the American health industry could be streamlined, the government certainly has no clue how to do it. Furthermore, the true hindrance in the situation isn’t the providers. It’s the Americans who are too irresponsible to take care of themselves.

Until that changes, nothing good will happen.