Why Britain's NHS Is Great Despite Its Dire Financial Situation

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) recently turned 68 years old, and, in spite of its bleak financial situation, the Independent’s Indie 100 shared 11 reasons to celebrate the birthday of the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world.

Top 11 Reasons To Applaud NHS

1. Every 36 hours, the NHS treats 1 million people — out of the 65 million living in the U.K.
2. Over 2015 and 2016, 22.9 million people attended the accident and emergency (A&E) department.
3. It’s relatively effective: 91.9 percent of the people above were seen within four hours of their arrival to A&E.
4. It can still deal with increasing demand.
5. The NHS also takes care of mental health — about 1.84 million patients over 2014 and 2015.
6. Most people (almost 85 percent) are satisfied with the attention.
7. Patients (81 percent) also think the staff is nice.
8. “The Commonwealth Fund compared the NHS to ten other countries in 2014 (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and USA)… They found the NHS the best in terms of efficiency, effective care, safe care, coordinated care, patient-centred care and cost-related problems,” Indie’s article read.
9. The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world, with more than 1.3 million staff members.
10. Doctors are still working, despite being unhappy with their contract terms.
11. Demand will get higher as the U.K.’s population continues to get older, on average.

Related Link: Analysts Give Healthcare Sector A Clean Bill Of Health

All praises aside, the NHS is bleeding badly, and none of its doctors can help it. The chart below clearly illustrates “the financial meltdown of the NHS.”

Source: Statista

Do you have ideas for articles/interviews you'd like to see more of on Benzinga? Please email feedback@benzinga.com with your best article ideas. One person will be randomly selected to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no interest in any of the securities or entities mentioned above.