Alfie Evan's case in the UK

[Carm_88]

I've been reading about this sad case and it's just sad how many people have been manipulated by it. The parents, I completely understand, they wanted hope no matter how small. That being said, the public in general should know better that the NHS in the UK does not take away life support without good reason. That is just silly! 

[victoriasponge]

Personally my favourite idiotic reaction is from the US republicans and their 'this would never have happened under our superior system, down with socialism!'

No, free intensive care certainly wouldn't have happened in the US. In fact, his parents would be millions of dollars in debt in their early twenties and their son still would have died. It's almost as if the republican party aren't despicable enough for trying to change America for the worse, they have to try and affect Europe too. We know you hate us, you don't need to keep reminding us. The UK's already going the way of America with higher education and consumer/worker rights, we don't need the NHS to go that way too.

Using a child's death to further your political game is so anti-Christian, it almost makes me laugh.

[Coconut Flan]

1 hour ago, victoriasponge said:

No, free intensive care certainly wouldn't have happened in the US. In fact, his parents would be millions of dollars in debt in their early twenties and their son still would have died.

More than likely the child would have gone on Medicaid and the parents wouldn't have gone into debt for the hospital bill.  Although how the subsequent events would have played out would likely have depended on which hospital and which state the child was in.

[Gobsmacked]

On 29/04/2018 at 3:44 AM, EmainMacha said:

@nastyhobbitses I can't imagine what possessed the doctors to put a frail 96yr old through major surgery. I'm very sorry for your loss and for the extra suffering your grandmother had.

 

Jennifer Worth, author of Call The Midwife wrote a very good book about end of life care and knowing when to say no to procedures suggested by  Doctors etc in cases such as your Grandmother's  Nastyhobbitses.

It is an informative and thought provoking read. Certainly a book that should be on reading lists for all trainee Medical staff. 

[Alicja]

This is a really sad case and I feel terrible for Alfie and his parents, this sounds like a nightmare scenario.

The reactions to the case do not surprise me, however. We live in a highly individualistic, capitalist world where the individual consumer's need is more important than the needs of the collective. Unfortunately, this attitude is pervasive in medicine (in the US, at least) and is one of the reasons why America's public health system is so shitty. 

I'm also quite ashamed to see the Pope's reaction to this, especially given that the NHS' decision wasn't even against Catholic doctrine. I mean, people are taken off life support under similar conditions in Catholic hospitals everyday. The best the Pope could have done was give Alfie his last rites and give money to the NHS and the doctors who treated Alfie. It is shameful to trade centuries of philosophy and theology for ideological purity. 

This case reminds me of Jahi McMath. Where were these "warriors for life" when a young black girl became brain dead due to medical error?

[Coconut Flan]

32 minutes ago, Alicja said:

This case reminds me of Jahi McMath. Where were these "warriors for life" when a young black girl became brain dead due to medical error?

Which we don't even know for sure what happened since there are multiple versions of what occurred.

[Shadoewolf]

@Coconut Flan if Alfie was American I agree he'd have been on Medicaid BUT Medicaid isn't accepted by a lot of specialists, nor are more recent treatments or medications. My kiddos are on it and it's a pain in the ass finding a pediatric neurologist or a pediatric psychiatrist for Youngest. Getting newer meds covered? Not very often and not without spending 6 months to a year trying other stuff and having it fail first. The level of red tape involved in care for a child like Alfie, he'd have died waiting on approvals and such. 

I wish we had NHS!