New discriminatory NHS policy is bad for your health, whoever you are
Jessica Potter, Queen Mary University of London When I first qualified as a doctor more than ten years ago, it was simple – my duty was to provide the best possible care to the patient in front of me. Evidence and clinical experience were my guides. Unlike in a commercialised health system, such as the US or India, I was not torn between doing the right thing and demands from a profit-making paymaster, or concerns over whether my patient could afford the care. Identity checks at the front door and upfront charging have changed all that. They compromise my duty to “ show respect for human life ” by prioritising British lives over all others, regardless of the wider implications. According to the NHS constitution , healthcare should be “available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status”. It is a service that provides care “based o...