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maid_in_belfast

Listed below are comments made by maid_in_belfast between Thursday, 25th September 2008 and Wednesday, 8th October 2008.

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Bill of health 7:36pm on 08 Oct 2008 Peter Sym #29- my father is a doctor, as are two of my cousins and one of my best friends, my mother is a nurse, and my sister is a speech therapist, so you'll understand that I also have experience from both sides of the picture here. I am not some all-knowing patronising businessperson who thinks they can fix the world's problems singlehandedly. Even these friends and family members will admit to the faults of the NHS which employs them.

I would never say anything so crass about the length of time it takes someone to remove a brain tumour, but I do know that when I recently went to an eye clinic, I was taken 1 3/4 hours late. And at my next appointment, I was first in the day and I was taken 20 minutes late, after the doctor walked in at 9.20. I would never get away with that kind of inefficiency in my job, so that's what I meant by my earlier comment - there is undoubtedly room for improvement, there are undoubtedly things that could be fixed with a different attitude, and those things could make all the difference to some patients.

However, as I said earlier, I would never abolish the NHS, and am even quite happy, for now anyway, to rely on it. I think it's infinitely preferable to the US system, of which I also have some experience. And I also believe that the vast majority of health professionals are caring and hard-working, doing their best within the constraints that they have.

#27 many normal people in the UK don't have health insurance unless it's a work-related bonus. Certainly very few of my friends and relatives have it, and I don't myself. For the reasons I mentioned before - you have to pay a fortune per month to get any decent sort of cover, and then, when you need it, chances are you'll find you're not covered for the particular problem that you have.

The hybrid solution that #34 mentions is probably the ideal, but while health insurance costs are so high, I'd say that the majority of us normal working people will stick with the NHS, knowing that, for all its faults, at least we're not completely abandoned in our hour of need.
Bill of health 9:07pm on 07 Oct 2008 I don't think the NHS is quite as bad as our Californian friend makes out. It has its faults, and waiting lists, but at the end of the day you can generally get what is needed from (normally) caring staff. Or such has been my experience anyway. As a private sector businessperson, I'd definitely like to see it run more efficiently - i.e. if doctors would start their clinics on time, they might stand a chance of taking the rest of their patients on time! However, I digress...
Self-sufficiency is all very well as an ideal, but public healthcare plans aren't necessarily just about making it easier for those among us who don't work, indulge in risky lifestyles and then sponge off the system that the rest of us pay for (which is something of a fear among these bloggers, and among most normal working people). The fact is, very few of us can cope when faced with huge bills because of a very grave illness / injury. As with Ms Secours, indeed. So I personally think it is good to know that there is something to fall back on, and while the NHS could use some improvements, and I might choose private treatment if I could afford it, I certainly wouldn't abolish it.
Also, I know what health insurance policies cost, and how many people have been paying through the nose for years, only to find that when they do need healthcare, they're not covered for the specific treatment they require! Again, even Ms Secours' policy only covered 80%.
So, as a great-aunt once advised me, you'd be far better just starting up a separate savings account on your own and paying into it every month, and then if the day comes when you are ill or injured, use it for what is needed.
Although that was perhap better advice back then when banks weren't collapsing all around us...!
Ciao.
Oxford Town, Oxford Town 11:03pm on 25 Sep 2008 I'm interested in no 4's comments about letting in minorities just because they're minorities - that's something we're struggling with across the board. In business, as far as I'm concerned the best person for the job should get it regardless of race / religion etc, but what often happens is that companies and organisations have quotas to fulfil, to show that they are equal opportunity employers. While I am VERY against any form of discrimination, this is where it all gets a bit crazy, I think. And for any West Wing fans among you, Ainsley springs to mind, and I apply this quote to anyone who might be considered part of a 'subset': "It's humiliating. A new amendment we vote on declaring that I am equal under the law to a man? I'm mortified to discover there's reason to believe I wasn't before. I'm a citizen of this country. I'm not a special subset in need of your protection. I do not have to have my rights handed down to me by a bunch of old white men."

One thing I wonder, though, is whether Obama will be in greater danger than any other president because of his race? It's not something I'd considered before, as it's not really been discussed in the press this side of the pond, but in talking to some American customers during a recent trip over there, it does seem to be on people's minds, both Republicans and Democrats. It seems like the racists, though in the closet according to Gary, are still very threatening...

PS Jon, I LOOVE this blog. And I want your job!! And, as a fellow from these fair isles, I want to fully support your spelling of 'colour'!

:-)

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