Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Budgets vs. Healthcare

From the Daily Telegraph:

Operations are being cancelled because of dirty or broken instruments sent back by private companies employed to clean them, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said yesterday.

Hospitals used to sterilise their operating instruments on site but are being encouraged by the Department of Health to put the job out to private companies.

A survey of surgeons found that equipment was often unfit for use, damaged, or late - meaning that operations were cancelled at the last minute, often when patients were already anaesthetised.

There's nothing inherently wrong with using outside contractors, but there's always the assumption that the job will be done correctly. From cleaning the hospitals to sterilizing their instruments, it's bizarre how many times the UK health system messes up. Is there a cultural lack of personal responsibility?  It's like the Chinese manufacturers that put antifreeze in toothpaste to save a buck.  It's just stupid.

Can you imagine the lawsuits that would result if this happened here?


blog comments powered by Disqus