"Socialised medicine?"
You really have drunk the koolaid haven't you.

Two months ago our friend here in England was feeling tired and out of breath. He went to the doctor who immediately referred him to a cardiologist who scheduled tests including an echo-cardiogram which showed that the blood flow was low and a valve was in need of replacing.

It was decided he was still fit enough at age 73 to have the full open heart surgery and the doc said he would fit a new valve 25mm in diameter which is big enough so that when he needed another one in 10+ years a smaller stent valve could be put in place through a vein. (he is fit enough to still be cycling and swimming every week so the doctor wants to get him back to full blood flow).

The doc said that since he was going to open him up he also wanted an angiogram done to see if there were any blockages needing by-pass surgery (there were no blockages).

He had the surgery on Wednesday (4 hour op), spent a night in the ICU, then next morning he was moved to the HDU where he was sat up drinking coffee and eating toast. We went in to see him yesterday (Saturday) and he was sitting in the chair by the bed and was taking himself to and from the toilet when needed. While we were there they moved him from the HDU into his own side room in an adjacent ward and he walked there himself, with me and my wife carrying his personal belongings.

He's hoping to be home in 2 or 3 days.

I have similar excellent stories from various relatives ranging from back surgery to early detection and surgery to fix cervical cancer, to a kidney replacement after a mere 6 weeks on the donor waiting list. (This for a 28 year old niece of my wife).

We've lived in the USA for 29 years and have had excellent employer insurance coverage, plus great hospital treatment, but I have no worries at all about now being back in England and using the NHS.

I hope that he continues to make good progress. All my experiences with the NHS with family and friends are equally positive.

Thanks. I was exchanging emails with him last night and this morning. The last time I was in an NHS hospital was 1984 when I had surgery on my foot. Like my friend I had a private room in which to recover for a couple of days but now with smart phones you are always in contact with friends and relatives via the internet.

Before he drunk the koolaid it was called free healthcare.

I find the dentistry in the US much better, but also much more expensive in the US. The NHS can vary a lot by postcode, if you live in a more affluent area or an area that gets a lot of grant money the care is much quicker, not necessarily better.