PHYSICIANS in the United States who have so much in common with their British colleagues might be amazed to realize that an apparent majority of them, and virtually all of organized medicine in the United Kingdom, is united in seeking to preserve socialized medicine—the National Health Service (NHS)—from partial privatization by the Conservative government. Elsewhere in this issue, Michael F. Loudon, BM, BCh, details the situation from the scene.
It seems that almost anywhere one looks these days (be it the First, Second, or Third Worlds), there is great unhappiness with the health care delivery system. Many countries are grasping for the right mix of public and private medicine that is personal, caring, and compassionate while being competitive and efficient, engendering respect and trust, encouraging recruitment and professionalism, and distributing the fruits of new knowledge and technology quickly without excess cost, waste, or profiteering.
Anthony J. Byrne, a pharmacist and