4 ms·

I know it's an edge case, but there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition. Their health association refused to pay for it b

by dx87 7y ago

I know it's an edge case, but there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition. Their health association refused to pay for it because no doctors in the UK knew how to perform the surgery, and they weren't willing to pay for them fly to the USA where there were specialists who could do the surgery. After they started a GoFundMe to pay for the surgery themselves, and there was a lot of press about it, the government finally agreed to pay for it instead of letting the kid die. I've also read a lot of stories from people in Canada and the UK saying that it's almost impossible to get same day medical care, even from a general practicioner. Like, they'll have to call as soon as they open, and hope they aren't already booked for the day.

notatoad 7y ago
>there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition i'm curious what story you're referring to. The two that were in the news recently were Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans, but neither of those were heart conditions and neither were easily fixable. They were denied access to treatments that most medical experts agreed would not be effective.
jandrese 7y ago
"Easily fixable" and "no UK doctors knew how to perform" seem at odds with each other.
gregmac 7y ago
> I've also read a lot of stories from people in Canada and the UK saying that it's almost impossible to get same day medical care, even from a general practicioner. Like, they'll have to call as soon as they open, and hope they aren't already booked for the day. It highly depends on the situation. If you're trying to see your family doctor for something routine or non-urgent, yes, it can take a few weeks to get an appointment, as they tend to be booked up. If you have a non-critical issue that needs to be taken care of sooner (eg, an ear infection), many practices run an "urgent care" or "after hours" clinic, and there are also dedicated offices (often co-located with a pharmacy) that do the same. I'm not sure how exactly these work, but they don't cost anything, and you can generally get in within minutes to hours, depending on your situation and how busy they are. If you are in need of emergency care, you go to the ER (and/or call an ambulance), and get triaged. If you are having a heart attack, for example, you will get treatment immediately, but for lesser problems you can sometimes wait several hours. This is also the one case where the system can actually cost you money of-out-pocket, because if you're waiting that long you'll probably want to buy something to eat.
DanBC 7y ago
There can be long waits for GP appointments. This is because the government has chosen to underfund the NHS. But in England if you need same day medical care you call 111 to talk to a healthcare professional, or you walk into your nearest pharmacy to talk to the pharmacist, or you visit your local walk-in medical centre to see a GP, or if it's something a GP can see as an emergency you call your GP and make an emergency appointment. If it's more serious you visit your local MIIU (minor injuries and illness unit), or UTC (urgent treatment centre) or A&E, or you call 999 or 112 for an ambo. > but there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition Do you know the name of the child? Because every single time someone mentions one of these cases they're going by information they've read in US media, and the details are always wrong.

by dx87 7y ago

notatoad 7y ago

>there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition i'm curious what story you're referring to. The two that were in the news recently were Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans, but neither of those were heart conditions and neither were easily fixable. They were denied access to treatments that most medical experts agreed would not be effective.

jandrese 7y ago

"Easily fixable" and "no UK doctors knew how to perform" seem at odds with each other.

gregmac 7y ago

> I've also read a lot of stories from people in Canada and the UK saying that it's almost impossible to get same day medical care, even from a general practicioner. Like, they'll have to call as soon as they open, and hope they aren't already booked for the day. It highly depends on the situation. If you're trying to see your family doctor for something routine or non-urgent, yes, it can take a few weeks to get an appointment, as they tend to be booked up. If you have a non-critical issue that needs to be taken care of sooner (eg, an ear infection), many practices run an "urgent care" or "after hours" clinic, and there are also dedicated offices (often co-located with a pharmacy) that do the same. I'm not sure how exactly these work, but they don't cost anything, and you can generally get in within minutes to hours, depending on your situation and how busy they are. If you are in need of emergency care, you go to the ER (and/or call an ambulance), and get triaged. If you are having a heart attack, for example, you will get treatment immediately, but for lesser problems you can sometimes wait several hours. This is also the one case where the system can actually cost you money of-out-pocket, because if you're waiting that long you'll probably want to buy something to eat.

DanBC 7y ago

There can be long waits for GP appointments. This is because the government has chosen to underfund the NHS. But in England if you need same day medical care you call 111 to talk to a healthcare professional, or you walk into your nearest pharmacy to talk to the pharmacist, or you visit your local walk-in medical centre to see a GP, or if it's something a GP can see as an emergency you call your GP and make an emergency appointment. If it's more serious you visit your local MIIU (minor injuries and illness unit), or UTC (urgent treatment centre) or A&E, or you call 999 or 112 for an ambo. > but there was that kid in the UK with an easily fixable, but fatal, heart condition Do you know the name of the child? Because every single time someone mentions one of these cases they're going by information they've read in US media, and the details are always wrong.