Britain's cherished, lousy National Health Service

By Theodore Dalrymple

Two studies show that the National Health Service performs poorly compared to other nations. Yet the British were the most satisfied with their healthcare of all the populations surveyed.

In April, the British Medical Journal published an article about two studies conducted by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund. The studies compared the healthcare systems of 14 advanced countries, and on the 20 measures of comparison,Britain'scentralized National Health Service performed well in 13, indifferently in two and badly in five.

On several measures, the NHS came out the worst of all the systems examined. For example, it ranked worst for five-year survival rates in cervical, breast and colon cancers. It was also worst for 30-day mortality rates after admission to a hospital for either hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. On only one clinical measure was it best: the avoidance of amputationof the foot in diabetic gangrene.

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