Someone I am acquainted with who has various mental health diagnoses, lost a close grandparent and inherited some cash. Whilst still grieving, and during a mental health episode, she decided to blow much of her inheritance on breast enlargement.
Now, if she had gone to the NHS and said, “I need bigger boobs to make me happy” the NHS would have said, a) We don’t have the funds for that, but b) Look, you probably just need some therapy and support and let’s review your medication. Which I believe in hindsight is what she truly needed.
However, private? Nah. “That’ll be a few thousand pounds please. We can get you in theatre in 2 weeks.” Within days, literally
days, of her surgery she was distraught. She couldn’t believe what she had done to her body nor where her mindset had gone. She had
never, ever ever been someone who picked fault with her body, she was always so secure in her image, even as a teen. She had especially never been unhappy with the size of her boobs either - until that very difficult time in her life combined with a mental health episode. As soon as she was fit to undergo surgery again, she had her implants whipped straight out. KERCHING!
She now lives her life with two very expensive scars, and some company has her gran’s life’s savings for the privilege.
That’s not the only time I’ve seen a “well, you’re the customer, have whatever you like” attitude with private healthcare. I know the details of this one inside and out because I cared for her. Aunt, never wanted any kids (fair play!), never really liked kids, has hoarded her wealth to leave to a donkey sanctuary or something some day, was told by the NHS that she will probably need a hip replacement in the next couple of years, decided that she wasn’t going to dilly dally, and within weeks she’d splashed £20k on having it done privately and later decided she probably could/should have just waited. Not sure there’s much money left for that donkey sanctuary or even a rainy day now.
And don’t get me started on how many people we see stories of who didn’t really
need bariatric surgery, they probably just needed some dietitian support, a personal trainer, or even some therapy, or actually maybe just some self-esteem boosting to accept their body and that it genetically/hormonally/biologically/whateverally gravitates to being bigger than a half-starved Victoria’s Secret model. All too often these stories end with major complications, like nutrient deficiencies (because if you don’t take supplements literally for life to counterbalance what the gut no longer absorbs…) that can then lead to organ failure (which becomes an NHS issue). A lot of the time, these people can’t keep up with eating smaller amounts because their brain isn’t wired that way or their lifestyles are so fixed (hence why diets continually failed) and they just end up eating until they’re sick every meal. Great for the oesophagus that! They end up sicker than they were just being a bit porky, and some even die as a result. Does it affect the private surgeon who performed the permanent whipping out of half of their stomach for a massive pay cheque though? Nope. The misguided patient made a choice and signed on the dotted line - their problem now!
“But we gave them a half-hearted psych analysis in a matter of weeks, what more can you ask for?!”
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also known someone to get private healthcare through work and the resources private healthcare can access do piss all over what the NHS can offer, undeniably. After over a decade of the NHS scratching their heads about his symptoms he was finally diagnosed with something very unusual but very easily put right and he is mended and living his best life now. But is that an argument to support private healthcare, or just an argument to better fund the NHS?
If the NHS doesn’t think you’re a good candidate for some types of treatment, I always think it’s worth considering: Is that because of a major systemic funding issue, or is that literally because it’s not actually that essential for me? Critical thinking and self-awareness skills help determine the answer.
For those who can muster the funds, there are some marvellous private healthcare experts who diagnose rare disorders and save people from months/years on NHS waiting lists getting sicker, and the patient care might be tip top, but they will also take liberties where they can, without a doubt.
