THE SICK SOCIETY

Inside capitalism everything has a price. If you can afford it you can get the best food, clothing, housing and entertainment. Conversely if you don't have the money you have to do with the cheap, the shoddy and the second-rate. Regretfully this applies to health-care too. "The lives of thousands of non-cardiac NHS emergency surgery patients are being risked by poor care and delays in treatment, leading surgeons say. The Royal College of Surgeons says poor access to facilities like operating theatres and scans means some abdominal emergencies are not spotted in time. The RCS also says not enough patients receive critical care after surgery. ....The RCS adds that junior staff are often left to deal with complications." (BBC News, 29 September) They call it the National Health Service, the national ill-health service would be more accurate. RD