Annals of Government Medicine

In the United Kingdom, decentralization of the National Health System is being planned in response to widespread revulsion with rising costs and lousy health care. The latest case in point: Babies died after junior surgeon left to cope on his own.

Four babies died at an NHS heart unit where managers were trying to raise the number of patients being treated in order to avoid closure, according to a damning report.
The infants died within three months of each other after being operated on by a relatively junior surgeon who was appointed to raise patient numbers at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, an external review has found.
Caner Salih, who was left alone on his second day in the post, complained about the age of the equipment and poor working practices at the children’s cardiac unit. He blew the whistle to bosses after four of his patients died within three months and asked to stop operating.
His concerns were ignored and it was only when journalists began to ask questions that the trust managers informed the Strategic Health Authority [SHA] and the health care regulator, the Care Quality Commission, says the report. The report, conducted by senior doctors at the SHA, recommends that operations at the unit should never take place again because it is unsafe.

That’s socialized medicine for you. It’s great for bureaucrats and dangerous only if you’re a patient. Meanwhile, House Republicans put out this chart that shows the structure of Obamacare as enacted earlier this year. It will employ a great many bureaucrats, just like the NHS. Click to enlarge:
Obamacare Chart.jpg

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