ON FEBRUARY 1, the Conservative Thatcher government in Great Britain proposed a series of major changes in the country's National Health Service that are more drastic and far-reaching than anything that has occurred since "socialized medicine" was introduced by the then Labour government 40 years ago.
The changes (detailed in the accompanying article) will have a major impact on how medicine will be practiced in the United Kingdom in the future and will inevitably influence how physicians will treat their patients and the extent to which patients will be able to get good medical care.
(Activation of the new plan awaits approval by the British Parliament, but considering that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservative party has a majority of about 100, it will almost certainly be voted into law. However, even if that happened immediately, it is estimated that it would take about 3 years before it was fully implemented.)