Sicko- the untold stories

This weekend, I put myself through the pleasure of watching Michael Moore's latest mockumentary titled "Sicko". Apart from lavishing it with all the praise that is justfiably due to a director of Moore's class, it nevertheless left me asking more questions than answers.

First of all, what struck me as "tres" surprising was the way the NHS in the UK was eulogized for its services to the people in the "less than have" category. yes, its true, the NHS does endeavour to cater to the sections of society that have little or no means of funding their medical costs. However, it begged several questions: one of the most prominent ones being, "ok, if the NHS is so good, why are people complaining about it?". Then it struck me, "oh that's right... this is about the good aspects of the NHS remember"? how convenient! which is fair enough... afterall for a yankee to compare apples with oranges, he would no doubt have to peel out layer by layer, the benefits of eating an orange versus an apple.

The objective of my post is not to deny Moore his kudos... it is infact a word of caution to all the people who have watched it and think "any healthcare system is better than the US'", that even European nations have plenty of demons to contend with as far as healthcare is concerned.

I have heard several horror stories of how people get their case-files mishandled, charged the sun and the moon for services and diagnosis which are more often than not easily avoidable, when seeking healthcare via the NHS... and this includes people in the "don't have" category as well. The hospitals are dirty, there's little no funding, and it is subject to so many politically and morally logic-defying anomalies that one would think in this day and age, getting sick is the ultimate crime to commit. The irony is, the NHS admits they're understaffed, under-funded and the whole lot... yet, there are cases of several cases of doctors( new and experienced) who come from non - European countries who are given such a short end of the stick because they're visa nationals. Now I'm not naming countries here; people who can relate to this post know which specific areas I'm talking about. I really wonder what the UK has lined up for itself; agreeing to hire all and sundry who come from Europe claiming to be doctors while really promising ones without European passports to boot, struggle to find a foothold in the UK. I am yet to hear of similar anomalies with people I know who live in other countries such as Canada or France; whose healthcare systems were also bases for comparison in "Sicko". However, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind, that there are bound to be inconsistencies with the way the systems there work as well.

All in all, it was worth a good view... but I find it extremely difficult to agree that there is such a thing as a perfect healthcare system which caters to each and everyone's needs.