Most people say the NHS is one of the best healthcare systems in the developed world – and 22% say it is the very best
A new report by the Commonwealth Fund has declared the NHS as the world’s best healthcare system, compared to 11 other systems in New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and the US. The report scores the UK highly on quality, access and efficiency, noting that it spends the second-lowest amount per-head (£2,008) of the 11 countries. The US, in contrast, spends the most (£5,017), yet it is the poorest at saving lives and ranks the worst overall.
A new YouGov survey finds pride for the NHS among the British public, with 74% saying it is one of the best in the developed world.
52% say it is one of the best, and 22% say it is the very best in the world. Only 18% say it is average and a meagre 4% say it ranks among the worst.
The Commonwealth Fund say the USA underperforms in “most dimensions of performance”, largely due to the “absence of universal health insurance coverage”. The data was compiled before Barack Obama’s flagship Affordable Care Act took effect, however. In contrast, the UK's system, the report says, provides "universal coverage with low out-of-pocket costs while maintaining quick access to specialty services".
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