Experts say Rishi Sunak’s government has politicized healthcare. The number of patients currently on the waiting list for treatment is 7.5 million.
The UK government plans to use the private sector to solve the problem. Steve Barclay, the health secretary, announced the creation of 13 new community diagnostic centers that will “help carry out 750,000 health screenings a year.” They will also help create a network of 160 clinics by 2025 to help patients access research outside of hospital.
The idea is not new: in the early 2000s, Labor used the private sector to help meet waiting time targets, and the Tories did something similar during the pandemic. Private health services have now struck an agreement with the NHS to help reduce the backlog.
Some critics argue that in this way the government is trying to completely politicize the health care system. Among doctors working in the private sector, there is concern that the private health system itself will face long queues.
Barclay supports the government’s plan and believes it is vital that all available resources are used to relieve pressure on the NHS. However, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the decision to further involve the private sector to reduce waiting lists is only a short-term solution. The British authorities need to examine and reform both the way the health service operates and the conditions in which its workers find themselves, emphasizes edition of The Spectator.
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