Should we replace the NHS?

Lord Darzi's report and why it's time to look beyond Britain.

by Dr Kristian Niemietz

I started reading the Darzi Report on the state of the NHS last week, but quickly lost interest in it when I realised that, by design, it was not going to look at anything outside of the box. Already on p. 12, Lord Darzi says:

“Nothing that I have found draws into question the principles of a health service that is taxpayer funded, free at the point of use, and based on need not ability to pay. […] [Other] health system models—those where user charges, social or private insurance play a bigger role—are more expensive”.

There’s a lot to unpack in that short statement, which is dubious at multiple levels.