Experts have warned of a growing healthcare crisis in England as millions of residents wait for medical attention.
According to the latest referral to treatment (RTT) data from the National Health Service (NHS), England's public healthcare system, as of July 2024, 7.62 million patients were on waiting lists for treatment, and 6.39 million had specific medical needs.
The average wait time for treatment is 14 weeks, but more than 3 million patients have been waiting for more than 18 weeks, and of those, around 300,000 have been waiting for more than a year.
A father develops a drug to save his son from a rare disease, and now other families are desperate to get it too
Senior Healthcare Analyst for Fox News NYU Langone Medical Centerappeared on “Fox & Friends” to express his concerns about the situation.
“This is a big wake-up call for us,” he said.
As of July 2024, there are 7.62 million people on the waiting list for treatment in the UK, of which 6.39 million have special medical needs. (iStock)
“The National Health Service, which was started in 1948 with the noble idea of providing for the welfare of every person in England, is failing,” he continued.
Mother desperate to save clinical trial that could cure daughter: 'The cure is in my fridge'
“There are nearly eight million people waiting for medical care there. They have to wait over 18 weeks. If you have a heart problem or an infection, why would you wait 18 weeks?”
While the problem is less severe in the United States, Siegel warned that it can be difficult to get timely treatment there.
“Even here, 26% of people in the United States are already waiting more than two months to receive medical care,” he told Fox News.
Click here to get the FOX News app
“People who receive benefits from their employers are also waiting.”
When asked what was causing the delays in care, Siegel said, “The No. 1 problem is that Kamala Harris and others are always talking about coverage, but coverage doesn't mean care.”
Click here to sign up for our Health Newsletter
“You have insurance; you have insurance; Public insurance — Nearly 50% of Americans are already covered by Medicare or Medicaid — but do you have a doctor? Can you get the care you need? That's the question. [being] It's hidden.”
“The National Health Service, which was started in 1948 with the noble idea of providing healthcare for everyone in England, is dysfunctional,” Dr Mark Siegel said. (Fox News)
Siegel added, “We're moving into an era of personalized solutions, which is very exciting, but expensive.”
The doctor also spoke about potential issues with illegal immigrants using health services that could delay U.S. citizens from seeing a doctor.
For more health related articles, health
“Undocumented immigrants are going to be homeless on the streets, they're going to spread disease, they're going to overwhelm emergency rooms. Whether or not we give them health insurance, this is going to be an increasing problem,” Siegel said.
“But if you give them health insurance, it will be a financial disaster.”
