The (truly) sadly obligatory universal health care update

(This post appeared originally back on Monday but was inadvertantly taken down while doing some editing, the omission of which was discovered only now. We have re-posted this charming example of the compassion and effectiveness of socialized medicine for your reading enjoyment)

A three-year-old girl waiting for vital heart surgery has had her operation cancelled three times in as many weeks because of a shortage of hospital beds.

Ella Cotterell was due to have an operation to widen her aorta artery in her heart on Monday at Bristol Children's Hospital, but her surgery was cancelled 48 hours before because all 15 beds in the intensive care unit were full.

Michele Narey, manager of the Women's and Children's division at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'The decision to cancel any patient for any procedure is taken extremely seriously but is sometimes unavoidable because of the need to effectively manage emergency patients requiring beds on a day-to-day basis.

And here’s Ella’s Mom, Rachel Davis who has worked in the NHS for 22 years:

'This is a national problem, there are not enough resources in the NHS and it is about prioritising.
'Children who need routine grommet operations are seen quickly yet the children who need life-saving surgery are waiting because there are not enough intensive care beds and staff.
'It is a matter of time before a child dies on the waiting list and I don't want it to be Ella.
'If that does happen the Government will have blood on their hands.'

(italics ours)

Were Ella a loved one of ours we’d put even money there’d be some blood on our hands, as well.

But you know all this already because you all know that when you make something “free” there will be less of it. And when there is less of something you want or need, those needs will have to be prioritized. Prioritization that has been promised by the very people pimping universal health care.

In light of the overwhelming evidence of just what a disaster socialized medicine is we are developing an intense and deep-seated dislike towards those who know it sorely lacks but want to force this down our throat anyway.