The NHS is encouraging people to treat themselves in the name of saving money:
“Instead of going to a hospital or consulting a doctor, patients will be encouraged to carry out ’self-care’ as the Department of Health tries to meet Treasury targets to curb spending,” the Telegraph explained.So when is a universal health care system not actually universal? When Britain’s 60-year-old National Health Service can no longer support the weight of its clamoring clientele.
Granted, there should be more self-treatment in developed nations. Emergency rooms and doctors’ offices are often overcrowded with patients who aren’t in need of urgent need but who go anyway because their insurance or government is paying. That type of open access to health care has led to overuse of the system.
(via GruntDoc)
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“Health Beat” hit on this topic awhile back. Empowering people to have the confidence to care for themselves is important, and may go a ways to explaining why the better educated have better health —
I had great Pediatricians with my kids, and one of their big things was informing me, the parent, about my kid’s condition(s).
When I knew what was worth a call or visit and what wasn’t then I was better able to manage their health and our lives. Visits for things that a Dr. can’t help or will go away by themselves are wasteful and expensive.
So I don’t think this is a stupid idea. Heck, if half the country would get up, get on their bathroom scale and adjust their meals accordingly we’d probably be ahead.
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