Do Any Other Countries Hospitals Get Overwhelmed With Flu Patients?

[dave50]

Or is it just our 'beloved ' NHS that has this annual drama that incidentally the BBC love to cover.

[naomi24]

I think much of the problem is the difficulty in accessing GP services.  If they were doing their job, hospitals - and in particular A&E departments - wouldn't be overwhelmed.  

[Hymie]

I can't see the point in going to hospital with flu - they don't have a cure for it.

[youngmafbog]

I agree Hymie, it is pointless.  Same for the GP unless you are having breathing diffulties etc which most dont.

As you say Naomi, GP's are the failure here.

[davebro3]

I've been to A&E with breathing difficulties. It's very distressing & oxygen, nebulisers & steroids aren't readily available in most homes.

I would image some flu sufferers may be in the same boat.

[naomi24]

They can treat and alleviate the effects, Hymie.

[youngmafbog]

So can a pharmacist, although getting difficult to find one of those these days.

Yes Davebro, thats why I wrote the qualifyer. Although Doctors do have things for breathing issues, I know I've been there.

[davebro3]

and you can't just get a GP if you are in extremis after 4pm

[davebro3]

or most other times!

[youngmafbog]

Sadly true.

[youngmafbog]

Last time I needed something it was impossible to get an appointment, just a phone call and some photos which were useless.  I ended up paying £300 and having it sorted privately, luckily I can afford it but once again the poorest in society get walked on.

Of course one could arrive on a dinghy and jump the queue as we have seen in the press recently.

[naomi24]

I was going to have to wait a month for a phone call with a GP just to ask for a letter of referral to a private consultant paid for by my private insurance.  Barmy!  I contacted a private GP and got my letter in about 5 minutes.  

[youngmafbog]

I was allowed to self refer after explaining the situation.  Apparently there are allowing this more now.  Guess their private income is suffering if people cant get past the gP.

[New Judge]

"I contacted a private GP and got my letter in about 5 minutes."

Indeed, naomi. Mrs NJ and I have had to resort to that for a couple of ailments in the last two years. Our GP service virtually closed its doors upon the arrival of Covid and they have been remained closed to all but the most aggressive of invaders ever since.

Mind you, alhough it costs a few bob, it's a very different world. I had a knee issue which was really giving me some problems. I chose a private consultant with whom I got an appointment within two days. Had a consultation on Friday when X-Rays were taken before I actually saw the quack. Had an MRI scan the following Sunday morning. Follow up consultation the following Wednesday. No surgery necessary but if it had been I could have had it done within two weeks.

As youngmaf says, the lucky ones are those who can afford to do that. The unlucky ones are those who can't and they will be at the mercy of an increasingly disfunctional NHS.

[dave50]

But the question was, do any other countries have this problem with flu in winter or do they have a superior system?

[youngmafbog]

No I dont believe they do, nether are they superior as such they simply have systems that work and are much better value for money (in most cases, not the US of course before the usual start).