If its a life and death situation then probably the UK, but for routine operations no thanks..

My wife had to go through the Spanish NHS system for a knee problem as a resident not tourist.Dreadful.When seeing the consultant every patient had a strict 2 minutes only.This was timed ,you couldn’t sit down and had to stand against a wall.People were lined up 10 at a time ready to go in with about another 50 crammed into the waiting room.
In hospital the patients relatives have to change the bedding,bring food in and take the person to the toilet.Someone is expected to be at the bedside 24 hrs a day.You felt like you were in a 3rd world country.

As a permanent resident of Madrid my sister, who is over on a visit, yesterday showed me her scar which was the result of the carpal tunnel op she just had done – she can’t stop banging on about how fantastic healthcare in Spain is. You’d think that after well over 20 years of living in Spain her appreciation of Spanish healthcare might have waned slightly, apparently not.

My wife had to go through the Spanish NHS system for a knee problem as a resident not tourist.Dreadful.When seeing the consultant every patient had a strict 2 minutes only.This was timed ,you couldn’t sit down and had to stand against a wall.People were lined up 10 at a time ready to go in with about another 50 crammed into the waiting room.
In hospital the patients relatives have to change the bedding,bring food in and take the person to the toilet.Someone is expected to be at the bedside 24 hrs a day.You felt like you were in a 3rd world country.

Where was that in Spain? 😯

It’s completely different to my experience of consultants (in Madrid) – they’re slow to see you (long waiting lists) but once you get there they’re excellent, no pressure to hurry up the visit, modern facilities… And my two kids were both born in a Spanish hospital, I can assure you that all bed changing etc was done by a nurse, I certainly didn’t have to do anything!

Mogrim,it was Arrixaca hospital in Murcia.
In the end we paid private in the UK for a new knee as the Spanish consultant said she should come back when she is over 60 which was still 11 years away.
A Spanish neighbours husband went to the above hospital for an operation.His wife stayed at his bedside for 4 weeks waiting for the op until they came and told them that the surgeon had gone on holiday so he would have to go home and come back again.
A French friend in the village cannot believe how incompetent and uncaring the system is compared to France.

In 2000 the World Health Organisation apparently ranked Spain’s health system as the seventh best in the world. However each autonomous community is responsible for administration of local healthcare services, I guess this must cause some discrepancies between autonomous communities. And in the case of Madrid and Murcia it would appear quite a large discrepancy.

I’ll take CH and Germany over the UK any day …
The NHS is not what the Guardian and all it workers would have you believe,

There are just as many shirkers as in every other part of life …

My care in CH was stunning, as was my wife’s

Well, the wait here for an op was 7 months FFS so abroad every time.

There are just as many shirkers as in every other part of life …

But not in Germany, or Switzerland where your care was stunning ?

You’re absolutely right not to believe everything the Guardian says, or random punters on the internet for that matter.

However the UN’s World Health Organisation probably provides a reasonably well researched and objective opinion on the matter.

According to WHO the US spends more of its GDP on its health system than any other country in the world, followed by Switzerland and then Germany.

WHO ranks the US as the 37th best health system in the world, Switzerland 20th, and Germany 25th. The UK despite spending far less of its GDP on heath ranks 18th. It would seem that money alone doesn’t buy you the best healthcare system in the world.

Maybe the dedication and motivation of healthcare staff also comes into it ?

World Health Organization ranking of health systems in 2000

Much of the money given to health trusts in the uk is whittered away on bureaucratic bullshit instead of caring for patients. Hospitals being closed increasing waiting lists at others.
Excellent managers with years of experience given golden handshakes to cut cost. Next thing you know departments haven’t got a clue what’s going on as the new boss is 24 and cost half as much. Money just thrown away.
Everyone works so hard for the nhs and most do an outstanding job yet get no appreciation. This is where the money should be spent. Givining them payrises in line with inflation would be a start,
Imagine how much money an nhs trust chief exec get. Are they worth it? Never

Excellent managers with years of experience given golden handshakes to cut cost. Next thing you know departments haven’t got a clue what’s going on as the new boss is 24 and cost half as much.

I thought they had resolved that little problem with “revolving door” managers ?

Number of NHS managers re-employed after receiving redundancy doubles

More than one in six managers and administrators given payouts worth as much as £600,000 are now back working in the health service.

New Government figures show 3,950 managers made redundant since the shake-up of NHS services in 2010 have since been rehired in another parts of the NHS.

Nice work if you can get it, as they say.

But blame this government for that situation, not the staff.

Excellent managers with years of experience given golden handshakes to cut cost. Next thing you know departments haven’t got a clue what’s going on as the new boss is 24 and cost half as much.

That’s my personal experience of the nhs. I’ve had 2 doctors in my hospital leave as they cannot deal with management issues. Great for me with my issues.

I was in a Spanish hospital and it was very nice, but all the same it would have been better to be near home. I don’t really know whether it was private or public.

Well, the wait here for an op was 7 months FFS so abroad every time.

Every time? Kinda depends on which abroad we’re talking about, doesn’t it?