A few months ago I got a great opportunity to do a consultancy project with the Countess of Chester Hospital. I traveled to Chester with three other project mates and stayed in the on site accommodation provided by the hospital. The Countess is a fairly big hospital and has a staff of a few thousand people. Through the project I got to meet and interview quite a few people across the organization - radiologists, pharmacists, senior consultants and even the executive board members. Our final presentation to the exec board and the CEO went really well. Our work was highly appreciated and was very well received by the exec board. It was a great experience, a lot of learning and I thoroughly enjoyed working with my team at the Countess.
But the point of this post is really about the NHS. I have been in the UK for about five years now and touch wood I've never been admitted to a hospital. So my view of NHS in general was really colored by people around me. Some positive, some negative. But my experience of staying and talking directly to people across the Countess has completely changed my view. I found people at the Countess to be passionate, committed and very caring for the patients. People were very friendly, welcoming and always greeted each other with a smile. I don't know about the other NHS hospitals, but I was totally impressed by the professionalism and the camaraderie in the Countess. I am sure the other NHS hospitals are equally good if not better than the Countess.
NHS is really a great gift to the people in UK. In comparison, the Indian medical system is slowly heading the US way and soon the hospitals will become un-affordable for the poor in India. It is already very expensive in India and it troubles me to see the almost extortionist attitude in the medical system. It is appalling that the Indian system is failing to learn from the failures of the US medical system. NHS on the other hand is a great equalizer, it provides great medical facilities for the people irrespective of social class. Surely it has its own shortcomings and challenges. But I am certain that it can and should be addressed and fixed. I hope people support the services of NHS and help to preserve such a good medical system. And all I want to say is... I have new found respect for the NHS!
But the point of this post is really about the NHS. I have been in the UK for about five years now and touch wood I've never been admitted to a hospital. So my view of NHS in general was really colored by people around me. Some positive, some negative. But my experience of staying and talking directly to people across the Countess has completely changed my view. I found people at the Countess to be passionate, committed and very caring for the patients. People were very friendly, welcoming and always greeted each other with a smile. I don't know about the other NHS hospitals, but I was totally impressed by the professionalism and the camaraderie in the Countess. I am sure the other NHS hospitals are equally good if not better than the Countess.
NHS is really a great gift to the people in UK. In comparison, the Indian medical system is slowly heading the US way and soon the hospitals will become un-affordable for the poor in India. It is already very expensive in India and it troubles me to see the almost extortionist attitude in the medical system. It is appalling that the Indian system is failing to learn from the failures of the US medical system. NHS on the other hand is a great equalizer, it provides great medical facilities for the people irrespective of social class. Surely it has its own shortcomings and challenges. But I am certain that it can and should be addressed and fixed. I hope people support the services of NHS and help to preserve such a good medical system. And all I want to say is... I have new found respect for the NHS!
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