Britain’s health service in a ’humanitarian crisis’: Red Cross
▻https://www.yahoo.com/news/britains-health-humanitarian-crisis-red-cross-100221224.html
Britain’s health service is engulfed in a “humanitarian crisis” that requires the support of the Red Cross to use Land Rovers to transport patients, the charity said on Saturday.
Founded in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) is a source of huge pride for many Britons who are able to access free care from the cradle to the grave.
But tight budgets, an ageing population and increasingly complex medical needs have left many hospitals struggling during the winter season in recent years, prompting headlines about patients being left to wait on trolleys for hours or even days.
The NHS rejected the Red Cross’ description and the Department of Health said it had injected an additional 400 million pounds ($490 million) to help with the demand, but the opposition Labour Party called on Prime Minister Theresa May to do more to tackle the overcrowding.
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The row was triggered by a statement on the British Red Cross website, next to appeals for help in Yemen and Syria, which said it was now “on the front line, responding to the humanitarian crisis in our hospital and ambulance services across the country”.
