I don’t expect there’s a single one of us who hasn't moaned about the NHS at one time or another, but yesterday I experienced its complete wonderfulness at close quarters.
My daughter called to say that she was taking my baby grandson to the doctors surgery because he ‘didn’t look right’, and asked if I would meet her there.
I hurried to the surgery, arriving about ten minutes later to hear an alarm ringing, and heard someone say that a baby had stopped breathing. At that moment I knew the meaning of the expression ‘the cold hand of terror’
I ran in to find my darling baby on the floor being resuscitated by a team of doctors and nurses, and within minutes, an emergency ambulance had arrived, the Air Ambulance was hovering overhead, and Police had arrived to direct operations.
Thank God the poor wee fella was quickly breathing again and recovering in hospital. He had apparently suffered respiratory arrest due to a kidney infection, and is now on intravenous antibiotics, and hopefully on the mend.
What an amazing response, tho’ - how lucky we are to have all these wonderful people on hand to help us and our loved ones if we should be desperately and seriously ill!
I am filled with admiration, humbled, grateful, and most awfully afraid that we might lose our marvellous health service should it be privatised.
At a conservative (small ‘c’) estimate, the bill for yesterday’s ‘shout’ would have been in the tens of thousands, even before the hospital stay and drug therapy. My grandson is worth every penny ten times over of course, but the cost would be more than most of us could find.
Whatever your political stance, please stand up for our NHS, keep it working for all of our sakes, and let’s keep it free at the point of need - it’s far too good to part with!
