É habitual, nós falarmos mal dos serviços de saúde, em Portugal. E também é normal, nós exigirmos mais dos serviços de saúde, em Portugal. Não é que fiquemos satisfeitos com a miséria alheia, mas é sempre importante compararmos a nossa situação, para o bem e para o mal, com os outros, sobretudo com aqueles que nós percepcionamos como melhores.
O serviço nacional de saúde Britânico (NHS) é habitualmente considerado como bom, em termos internacionais. Contudo reparem nisto:
- Some NHS patients are waiting two years for treatment.
- Some patients needing orthopaedic surgery are waiting more than two years for treatment, according to new Government figures.
O governo Blair quer, no entanto, mais e melhor:
- By the end of 2008, the Government wants nobody to wait more than 18 weeks from referral to the start of treatment, whether they are an in-patient or an out-patient.
Mas, hoje, as estatísticas são estas:
- most specialities - including gynaecology, dermatology and cardiology - treat between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of in-patients within 18 weeks.
- However, that figure falls to below 20 per cent in trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip replacements, broken bones and limb disorders. The average patient in that speciality waits an average of 39 weeks for treatment.
- A quarter (23 per cent) wait between 52 weeks and 104 weeks for treatment, while 3 per cent wait longer than 104 weeks.
- The overall figures released today showed that an average of 70 to 80 per cent of patients who do not require hospital admission are treated within 18 weeks.
- But when it comes to patients needing hospital admission, just 35 per cent are seen within the target.
O Ministro da Saúde Britânico remata de uma forma, no mínimo, fleumática: Doing more of the same is not the answer - we know that traditional tactics to reduce waiting times will not be enough this time.
