by Gill 39 Replies latest jw experiences
Burn
We have the same options as the USA.......we have the option to pay for private health care and choose who more or less where and who administer our healthcare..........
Oh and we have this little thing called the NHS which reduces our options but provides highly qualified GP's, Specialist Surgeons, nurses etc etc for all and we apy for that via our taxes
Fi ;)
We have the same options as the USA.......we have the option to pay for private health care and choose who more or less where and who administer our healthcare..........
Oh and we have this little thing called the NHS which reduces our options but provides highly qualified GP's, Specialist Surgeons, nurses etc etc for all and we apy for that via our taxes
Fi ;)
I see. So the system is not as locked down over there as I thought. How much is private insurance? I currently pay more than $500 a month for a family of three. It is expensive, as you see. I have excellent insurance though, they cover a lot.
Burn
Gill
No need to apologise.........no harm done.........I understand where you are coming from
Fi
Burn it depends on what type of cover you want or require. For example it is possible to just pay for a private consultation rather than be on a waiting list with the NHS; you can also buy a 'top up cover' in the form of flexible health care plans which which can cover anything from in patient treatment, cancer care treatment including chemo or radiotherapy to full medical cover.
Price depends on various factors including age, whether you smoke etc etc.
The private hospitals are like the hospitals you describe.........hotels with medical staff :)
Fi
Gill:
FunkyDerek - Usually ALL women give birth in a private delivery room in a hospital, NOT in a ward. It is unusual in the extreme to give birth on a ward and not acceptable!
Not acceptable to whom? Beggars can't be choosers.
In order to continue to exist, the NHS and services like it must be inadequate. They need to be unpleasant and even risky in order to encourage more of the middle classes to go private, relieving the otherwise intolerable pressure that is inherent in any such "free" system. In fact, they will always tend towards "barely tolerable" as any improvement tempts more people into using the service, and tax increases to pay for improvements force more people to use it.
I think you are right in contacting your MP if you have concerns and you have every right to get together en masse and demand to meet with someone about what you believe is a deterioration in the NHS. That is taking an active part in tweaking the system so it provides a better standard of care - but I understand that no system is perfect and the USA itself sits lower on the list than the UK does, despite Burns headlines and touting of a system that works only for those who have money.
Private rooms are something that I was unaware that all people had access to since I know many who have been in semi-ward and full ward, myself included for an operation. It was a co-ed ward and I was there almost 4 days and it was absolutely no problem even though I did have private ward allowances, I made a decision to stay in ward. No problem. Ditto for the time I spent in hospital, 2 weeks, as a teenager. Full ward but all women and it was no problem.
Just a few more attempts to offset Burns headlining on how great his health care is - difference is that he could get it because he has the money to do so - millions can't get it because they don't have the money and actually, I'm not going to say the actual care is any less good or bad than any other country - it's the ability to get that care that is the issue. (Mind you, I have been in 4 hospitals in the USA and 2 of those were filthy which is something I can't say I saw while using the Canadian hospitals)
Just today, in the paper, the report is that the use of cathetars - one of the biggest causes of infection - is being drastically curtailed. Apparently there is more money to be made if the instrument is used - so it is routinely, even though 9 out of 10 patients don't need it. Now that the government has said it will not cover treatment for illness or injury that is a result of infection, the hospitals are starting to halt the use. ..
. Despite all the money we spend, people often do not get the care they need.
- Overall, adults get only 55 percent of the recommended care for many common conditions.
2. Despite spending more per person on health care than other developed countries, our results are not consistently better and are sometimes worse.
- For example, the United States has seen an increase in the death rate from asthma in recent years, while death rates for asthma have declined in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
3. The quality of our health care often depends on where we live and who we are.
Some areas of the United States do not have enough health care providers to serve everyone’s needs.
- There is consistent evidence of a difference in the availability and quality of care related to race, ethnicity, and income
- The availability of services varies a great deal across the country. It is different among the states, between urban and rural areas, and from one community to another.
- More than 10 percent of Americans report not having a regular place to go when they need health care.
The United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, despite the fact that it's one of the most expensive maternity care systems. Dr. Marsden Wagner is the former director of Women and Children's Health at the World Health Organization and he says the system is broken. Dr. Wagner joins host Bruce Gellerman to discuss his book “Born in the USA – How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First”.
One is to artificially start the labor at a time that is convenient to the doctor and the hospital. And this is done through induction of labor with very powerful drugs. Now the second way that you can bring control into this is to do a cesarean section instead of a normal birth because a cesarean section takes 20 minutes not 12 hours and I can schedule it. And, as a matter of fact, we do twice as many caesarians in this country as should be done. It is more dangerous for the woman and it is more dangerous for the baby.
GELLERMAN: One of the drugs that is used to induce labor is something called cytotec and you talk about it in the book.
WAGNER: The amazing thing about cytotec is that it is on the market only to treat stomach ulcers in adults. And it says on the bottle that this should never be used on pregnant and birthing women. And in fact there's a picture on the bottle of a silhouette of a pregnant woman with a line through it. And yet they use this to induce labor. And the, the result is that this drug causes such violent contractions of the uterus that the baby can't get enough oxygen because the only time a baby gets oxygen during labor is in between contractions.
GELLERMAN: But if you go to the website of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which I did, they say, "Yes we have a crisis in the United States in terms of OB/GYN and birthing. The fact is we don't have enough OB/GYNs and that docs are starting to get out of the business because they're afraid of being sued because it's the riskiest of all the specialties in terms of law suits.
One is to artificially start the labor at a time that is convenient to the doctor and the hospital. And this is done through induction of labor with very powerful drugs. Now the second way that you can bring control into this is to do a cesarean section instead of a normal birth because a cesarean section takes 20 minutes not 12 hours and I can schedule it. And, as a matter of fact, we do twice as many caesarians in this country as should be done. It is more dangerous for the woman and it is more dangerous for the baby.
Yep. That is a big problem. MDs want that baby out an quick. I think it may be due to liability issues.
Burn
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a baby being born with no abnormalities because he was not starved of oxygen at birth.
There is nothing wrong with having an assisted labour, or a caesarean section! It is GOOD to not be starved of oxygen because your mother's labour is going wrong, or your cord is wrapped around your neck, or your head is stuck in the wrong position for birth and you're being slowly suffocated!
My last birth was an emergency caesarean section. The Health visitor / Midwife said she was sorry I didn't have the satisfaction of giving birth 'naturally'. I told her that I did not feel 'cheated' as she suggested. In fact, if I had given birth naturally I would have been dead in minutes of the birth and the baby, who was lying transversely and compressing her cord would also have been dead or potentially brain damaged.
Cesarean sections, help from doctors, deliverys that are speeded up with oxytocin are NOT bad but good. The babies are closely monitored, a doctor is closely involved and the chances of coming out of the experience with a healthy child are much higher. I never went into labour wanting someone to mop my brow and make a fuss of my 'wonderful natural pain'! I went in to have a healthy child as soon as possible and nothing else would do!
I also discussed with the same Health Visitor how the amount of brain damaged children had gone down as cesarean sections had risen!
Labour is not pretty! Even the best can be upsetting and traumatic and painful.....unless they are one of these high speed deliverys which I always craved but never had!
Therefore, what I'm saying is that the purpose of pregnancy and labour is to produce and happy and healthy baby! For a few moments attention too many children are born brain damaged with ruined lives for themselves and their familys!
Always, absolutely always fight for the best medical attention possible during labour.....that's the only advice I can give to anyone about to go into hospital to have a baby! Don't be afraid to fight for your partner and your baby. It takes only a few minutes of oxygen starvation to ruin a child's potential!
A doctor is more of a friend in labour than a midwife....a sad fact I discovered for myself! I nearly lost my second twin because an arrogant midwife thought she was doing me a favour by keeping five doctors standing outside the delivery room for hours and not until they raced in and were faced with an absolute emergency did they act like absolute heroes and save my baby and myself! Midwives should stick to what they know.....simple deliveries and leave the tough stuff to doctors.
Don't waste time being afraid, research, demand attention and don't take anything less!
I don't care if that sounds 'scare mongering' take it from someone who's been there, and got the T shirt to prove it!
For all you who are expecting.....find out all you can, don't fear anyone and question everything!
More than likely, the more assertive you are the more assistance you will get ...... and always threaten to sue the arse off anyone who is not helping if you feel that things are not going well!
I've decided to have a Doula.
Doula" (pronounced "doola") is a Greek word meaning "woman servant or caregiver". It now refers to an experienced woman who offers emotional and practical support to a woman (or couple) before, during and after childbirth. A doula believes in “mothering the mother” - enabling a woman to have the most satisfying and empowered time that she can during pregnancy, birth and the early days as a new mum. This type of support also helps the whole family to relax and enjoy the experience.
Sirona
Excellent, Sirona!! Glad to hear it!
There is nothing like an experienced person devoted to your care to help you through a labour and really it is something that used to be available in the NHS. You had your named midwife and she STAYED with you throughout labour! These days they tend to turn up to catch the baby and run off to the next room for the next catch! It's only the good and not overstretched hospitals that offer that kind of support now.
Glad to hear you will have that kind of support!
