Suffering at the hands of the NHS (From South Wales Argus)

Suffering at the hands of the NHS

11:03am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in Letters

THE NHS was wonderfully vaunted in the Olympic opening ceremony. I found it extremely ironic. Here’s why.

In February this year my daughter’s partner began to have a wisdom tooth grow sideways in his gum. This opened the gum to infection and an abscess ensued. The dentist referred him to the hospital twice, to no avail. He has finally obtained an appointment for September 28. We can only trust that an admission will swiftly follow. Meanwhile, he has had to suffer pain and recurring abcesses requiring half a dozen courses of antibiotics. Last week it flared again and his face was red from lower jaw to his eye. He was alternately hot and cold, feeling faint and unable to eat. The dentist gave him yet more medication and was impotent with rage at the NHS. It is like something you hear about in Third World countries. We have had two local MPs on the case who have not been able to further things and we understand that there are others waiting in similar circumstances. Of one thing I am sure. If it had been possible to pay privately, this situation would have been sorted out in the beginning. The other interesting fact, of course, is that if you left an animal in this condition, you would be prosecuted for neglect. I give thanks daily that I live in a civilised country where the health service is second to none and this kind of thing is unthinkable.

Patricia A Davey, Charente, France