National healthcare system is a top priority in Britain's upcoming general elections

The National Health Service (NHS) has become the focus of political debate in the run up to Britain’s general elections, which will be held by May.

Political and labor groups assert the NHS, one of the world’s most successful attempts at socialized medicine, is threatened by the United Kingdom’s aging population, the skyrocketing costs of healthcare technologies, years of government cost-cutting, and political reluctance to raise taxes. According to a Feb. 2 New York Times report, the health system faces a $320 million deficit for the fiscal year ending in April despite a budget of more than $73 billion per year. The newspaper cited cancellation of treatments such as cancer screenings and prenatal urine tests, and waits of more than a year for several major surgeries.

Officials at the British Embassy in Washington strongly disagreed with the report’s characterization of the NHS as being “at the breaking point” and in danger of collapse. “Clearly, the NHS, like every other health system, rations care,” said the British embassy’s labor attaché John Russell.

“In the U.K., care is rationed based on the availability of taxpayer money available to fund it.” When funds for the fiscal year run out, nonemergency procedures may be postponed. However, Russell said, data indicates that health has improved throughout the United Kingdom since the NHS began in 1948.

Russell said predictions of the collapse of NHS have been sensationalized by interest groups who want competing political parties to make campaign promises of improved health care. “You have to remember that we’re coming up to our national elections,” Russell said. “The NHS is well-loved by the voters, so there is pressure on all political parties to say they’ll spend more on it, hire more nurses, cover more procedures.”

Features | Classified Ads | Home Page | Continuing Education