The Ranting Room

 

That's about the size of it...if the cost of an expensive drug that cures 10 people from a terminal illness is the same as 1000 hip replacements, then the latter tends to win, as it fits in with the governments election promises for targets/ quotas shorting of waiting lists.

 

What I find quite fascinating is that our essential premise of the NHS is based on a philosophy which originated before the French revolution...namely Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism which believes that stability within society may be achieved by providing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.  This might sound very simple, but its actually quite profound.  The unfortunate bi-product of such a philosophy will always be the small minority who are made more miserable as a consequence, who have to be sacrificed in the name of social progress for the majority...

 

...this moral sentiment still affects the core of our NHS today, given that resources are finite...

 

I'm sorry Andy, I really can't remember...certainly non-governmental; it might have been a University.  The only things I can remember was that the samples taken were extensive, the report had taken a long time to compile and had been a costly exercise...I believe it had been commissioned by Industry (probably the CBI).

 

Interestingly, one substantially sized group which crept under the radar, and were not counted in the 20% were young people who lived at home, working part time hours (eg behind a bar, as a DJ etc) but lived at home and didn't claim benefit, but are damaging their long term career prospects, and not contributing greatly to the economy....

 

...which brings me to my rant: Pak Choy.

 

I heard on the TV on Monday that thanks to Global Warming we can now grow Pak Choy in Wisbech, East Anglia, UK...

 

Well, excuse me, but do we really need yet another brassica to grace our kitchens? Isn't cabbage, broccoli , cauliflower, curly kale, spring greens and  brussels sprouts enough without recourse to exotics such as kohlrabi and Pak Choy? Do we actually need to con our jaded palates into consuming what is essentially cabbage by another name when there is a plethora of native vegetables that can be used to fill the cap between meat and potatoes on our plates? For that is all it is, an accompaniment, not a primary ingredient - boiled grass would do the same job if we had the ability to digest it. Can we honestly tell the difference between time honoured "greens" boiled in salted water for 4 hours until all colour and flavour has been leeched away so all that remains is the stench that has been permanently infused into the kitchen walls over countless generations and some overpriced "organic" designer vegetable that is lightly sautéed in sesame seed oil and dressed with a smattering of Balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with shaved white truffle and pine nuts once we've pinched our noses, closed our eyes and swallowed the damn stuff without chewing?

 

 

Oh believe me Neil I have full intentions to RANT and not rationalise. AT ALL.

 

Given 3 choices, Surgery (99.9% chance of it killing you) , Do nothing (100% chance of it killing you) or Drugs that in 20% of cases have prolonged life by up to 5 years........... the drugs are THE only option.

These are the choices we are facing for my Mum right now.

(Only choice 3 isn't "cost effective" .......... so has been removed.)

Not pretty huh?

 

I have always been a supporter of the NHS, mostly because my Mum is a huge supporter of it. Yes, I was once admitted at noon, on the table by 1pm and released 6 weeks later after a NASTY dose of MRSA and 2 weeks in coma, ................despite this I firmly believe the NHS is a very good thing.

Farming out the "management" and the "cleaning" is a MASSIVE problem, bring back matron I say!

 

I know we all feel most about what most effects us, but life saving should never be second choice to "life style" as far as medical desicions go.

IT STINKS.