Thousands of elderly patients become blind in Britain because of rationing of eye surgery



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Health care rationing is a regular part of the UK, which has nationalized health care in a way that American Democrats want to bring here.

But this rationing has consequences. Hundreds of older people go blind every year while waiting for eye surgeries. The latest report on the subject comes from the Times of London. According to the point of sale, the latest survey of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) found that rationing of cataract surgery continues even after guidelines have been issued suggesting that patients do not undergo delay surgery.

"The [National Health Service] ignored instructions to end rationing of cataract treatment in violation of official guidelines two years ago, revealed a study by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, "reported the Times.

The point of sale indicated that cataract removal was one of the most common NHS procedures. More than 400,000 such surgeries are performed each year. Two years ago, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said that patients requiring cataract surgery should not have to wait until they reach the end of their life. They are almost blind to receive treatment, which still seems to be the case in 2019.

"Nothing has changed," Mike Burdon, President of the BCR, told the Times. "We can not have a situation where Nice is set up to make those decisions and [local health groups] Just say "we do not like the answer" and deprive the elderly of the chances of a better quality of life. I am bitterly disappointed. "

He called cataract surgery "probably the most important procedure of the NHS".

Helen Lee, policy officer at the Royal National Institute of the Blind, emphasized the importance of cataract surgery in a statement to the Times:

Cataracts can have a significant impact on a person's ability to live a full and independent life, potentially preventing them from driving and increasing their risk of serious injury by falling. The Nice guidelines are in place for a very good reason and clearly indicate that cataract surgery is extremely cost effective and should not be rationed. It is absurd that clinical commissioning groups deny patients this crucial treatment.

NHS, naturally, pushed back on concerns. Julie Wood, Executive Director of the NHS Clinical Commissioners, told the Times: "Nice councils are not mandatory and Clinical Commissioners must have the freedom to make clinically-driven decisions in the best interests of patients and their patients. wider local populations ". added that "the NHS does not have unlimited resources."

This is only the latest report on the lack of access to important ophthalmic surgeries. Last June, the Telegraph announced that patients were becoming blind while waiting for treatment for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. A survey conducted at that time revealed that up to 22 patients became blind or partially blind each month waiting for treatment.

The problem had also been reported in 2013. At that time, more than four NHS ophthalmologists claimed to have blind patients while waiting for treatment.

This is what will happen in America if the Democrats agree on "Medicare for All".

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