A man’s post slamming the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has surfaced online. In his share, the Indian-origin content creator claimed that after getting a cut in his hand, which left him with a deep wound, he only faced delays from the NHS. He further stirred a debate on social media after saying he travelled to India for proper medical attention.
“While I was in the UK, a glass shattered on my hand, severely damaging a nerve and leaving my tendon 90% torn, making it impossible to raise my finger. I rushed to a pharmacy where they told me it was a deep cut that required hospital treatment. They helped me wrap the wound and gave me energy tablets to prevent me from fainting,” Aryan Mangal wrote.
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He continued that he waited three hours before meeting a doctor at the hospital and was asked to meet a hand plastic surgeon the next day. According to Mangal, the surgeon numbed his hand with injections and asked him to come back for surgery after three days.
“As I got up to leave, my wound started (bleeding) again, so the doctor tightened the bandage and gave me extra dressings in case it bled at home. Later, I developed a fever because the wound was open and infected, and I had to take medication until Tuesday. That evening, I woke up to 7–8 missed calls from the NHS and a voice note informing me that my surgery had been postponed by 4–5 days,” he continued.
{{/usCountry}}“As I got up to leave, my wound started (bleeding) again, so the doctor tightened the bandage and gave me extra dressings in case it bled at home. Later, I developed a fever because the wound was open and infected, and I had to take medication until Tuesday. That evening, I woke up to 7–8 missed calls from the NHS and a voice note informing me that my surgery had been postponed by 4–5 days,” he continued.
{{/usCountry}}He went on to say that, frustrated by the delay, he travelled to India to get his surgery done. “Unfortunately, my experience with the NHS wasn’t great. While the doctors were kind and professional, the delays were excruciatingly painful,” he added. He concluded his post with a video.
How did social media react?
An individual posted, “I work as an NHS dentist but I am not ashamed to admit the NHS system is very very slo ! I myself have had very poor experiences with the NHS. I would also prefer to travel to my country India if needed! Good to know you are feeling better.”
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Another added, “I understand lately there are lots of issues within the NHS system. However it is not fair to compare the UK NHS to Indian private hospitals. Yes if you were ready to pay and go private in the UK, you would have also got the surgery quicker. So it is a very unfair comparison. Please compare it with an Indian government hospital. We pay taxes in both countries but what you get in return in India is shocking compared to the UK.” A third posted, “Doctors in India do their job very well but still, people don't respect & value doctors in India. Sad reality.”
A fourth wrote, “NHS free service, whereas in India you have to pay. I appreciate we all want to be treated as quickly as possible but I feel it’s not a fair comparison. However, yes personally I would pay and get the services quicker to make my life easier.”
An article published a month ago in the Guardian reported that a quarter of people in England have faced poor NHS care over the last year. A survey found that only one in ten patients complained about their experience, and “more than half were not satisfied with either the process involved or the outcome.”
“We flagged failings with the NHS over a decade ago, following the patient safety scandal at Mid Staffordshire hospital. Ten years on, our research shows that the public still lack confidence in the NHS complaints system,” Louise Ansari, the watchdog’s chief executive (the agency that conducted the survey), told the outlet.