A young UK woman named Laura Price, age 30, has died waiting for a vital brain scan from the NHS. From the story:
I agree that the US system is badly in need of reform. But a socialized system like that in the UK ain’t the answer.Laura Price...was found dead in her home just hours after she had been discharged from casualty. The evening before she died, Miss Price...had begged a junior A&E doctor for anti-seizure drugs but had been told they could only be prescribed by a neurologist.
Two days earlier she had visited a specialist at Charing Cross hospital and was told she would have to wait six weeks [emphasis mine] for a brain scan. She had felt “concerned and afraid” at having to wait that length of time for a test before being treated for a recurrence of childhood epilepsy, Westminster coroner’s court heard.
She had not had a seizure for more than 10 years, but after a series of “strange episodes”, including a numb face and flashing lights in her vision, she had visited her GP and was referred to the specialist.
