Rationed health care chases doctors out of UK, Canada

IBD:

Britain is suffering from an exodus of doctors. If America doesn't want physician flight in its future, voters will have to turn President Obama out of office this fall so that repeal of ObamaCare can be possible.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that its own research revealed that the British "National Health Service is suffering a 'brain drain' of doctors as more medics trained at taxpayers' expense choose to pursue their careers overseas."

More than 8,000 doctors have left since 2008, said the Financial Times. And it's not Britain's problem alone. Nearly 10% of Canadian-trained doctors end up in the U.S.

Several factors were mentioned for the losses in Britain. Among them are "improved lifestyle and better weather ... higher pay, shorter hours and superior arrangements for professional study."

Yet it's obvious that Britain's socialized medicine is one of the chief reasons doctors are leaving, if not the top reason. The Financial Times reports that physicians have complained of "extensive 'goodwill hours' and coming in on days off." Younger doctors also "feel abused by the long hours" they put in.

When a government declares that it will provide "free" health care, there is no escaping the fact that such a system will one day be overwhelmed by demand and the providers — the doctors and other professionals who are extensively and intensively trained — won't be able to keep up. They will be overworked, underpaid and frustrated with the difficulties in performing the task they feel called to, namely healing the sick.

We don't pretend to understand why, but the National Health Service is a source of pride in Britain. They cherish it as if it were a treasure, and defend it as if were worth protecting and not the rotted system that it is.

Doctors can take only so much, though. Why stay in Britain where the waiting times to see a physician are often fatal, the denial of care sometimes deadly, the facilities often miserable and the pay is base when there is opportunity, and typically more appealing tax rates, in Australia and New Zealand, which are where many of the departing doctors are relocating? Why remain in Britain, captive of a system that is running out of other people's money to operate off of?

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For some reason, many in the UK still think their health care is free, despite the higher tax rates they pay and the poorer services they receive from it.  They may have some vague nagging doubt about the shrinking of their national defense because of eh high cost of social programs like their health care regime.  But the fact is the NHS has made them poorer and less safe and has given them fewer opportunities for prosperity in the future.