Happy 2016!

Most people welcome the New Year with open arms as they are happy to say “good riddance” to previous years of tragedies, misfortunes and
general bad luck. In my family we are all extremely blessed and there is not a single year in my entire life that I would’ve liked to ‘write off.’

However…2015 for us has been ‘Year of the Hospital!’ With the exception of my mother having various complications with her health, the rest of us have been extremely lucky to have had very few visits to the doctor. 2015 was a very different case. My sister, father and I all ended up taking a trip to the hospital all for very different reasons! My grandmother was not an exception to our hospital-themed year and her visits were more frequent than ours. We have always appreciated the NHS however my grandma REALLY opened up our eyes to just how much they really do for us.

Her reliance on the NHS has only stemmed in the last couple of years. Up until then she has been a healthy woman. She took her health very
seriously as she grew up in a country where getting sick doesn’t only damage your health, it can also damage your pocket. When picking up medication at the pharmacy my dad pointed out the price on the packet to me. You can see the actual price of the medication and the price that you are required to pay. The difference is outstanding! If you saw a widescreen TV in a shop with a discount as big as what the NHS gives us you wouldn’t think twice about buying it! On top of that there are surgeries, check-ups, emergency care etc. all provided as a free service.

Having lived in Jakarta for a year I have seen first-hand just how much stress can be added to your life when your health is mixed in with financial worry. It is definitely not a good combination. I came across
this article recently and this is yet another example reminding us just how lucky we are: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/17/nhs-treatment-cancer-south-africa?CMP=fb_gu

Whilst the NHS can get a lot of stick as people are often quick to sound out negative feedback I want to give my appreciation and support for such a fantastic system!

#flowers4fatima

#savetheNHS