I am writing this column from a cold and grey Scotland - theoretically on holiday with family, but the problem with working on the Internet is that you can continue to work from anywhere! But being in Scotland allows me to ponder the provision of health. My mother lives in a tiny village in the extreme south-west of Scotland. That small village has a dedicated GP surgery, staffed by two GPs and practice nurses. The same village has an excellent secondary level hospital about 10km away and full tertiary care only 25km away. All this is free at the point of service and taxes in the UK are lower than they are in South Africa. People spend a lot of time complaining about the service - but then they really have no idea how lucky they are. Their alternatives if they lived in sunny South Africa would be paying many thousands of rands a month for medical cover and, if the couldn't afford that, relying on a failing public health system. Can we afford a similar system somewhere like South Africa? I really don't know - but I do appreciate the problems of a lower tax base etc. etc. However, I am convinced that we can provide something better than our current poor public health system - after all, we used to so there is little reason why we cannot once again put the same money and effort into providing health for all.
Dr Bridget Farham, editor: https://www.bizcommunity.com