Is healthcare free in the UK? Great Britain cares about its citizens, so medicine is free in this country. But you can use it only when you are a resident of this country. Recently NHS (National Health Service) charges have been introduced for certain categories of visas. This is due to the fact that so many people come to the UK for the purpose of obtaining free medical care here. In this article we will talk about the features of medicine in the UK. This will help you better understand whether medicine is free and how you can get medical care quickly and qualitatively.
Specifics of medicine in the UK
Local doctors will help you with a common cold or even make plastic surgery (if you can convince them that it is vital to you). All you have to pay is just a prescription written by a doctor. The price for it is fixed in the whole country and is – £8.5. Which is very convenient. Children under 16 and pensioners all medicines are free. As well as the services of a dentist and an eye doctor. You will not find a large number of pharmacies in England. This is because most medicines (including antibiotics) can only be bought with a prescription.
In England the same doctor sees completely different patients – children, pregnant women, and he will also give you a vaccination. This doctor is called a GP (General Practitioner) and it is very easy to make an appointment with him. All you have to do is come or call the office and you will be given an appointment. Because medicine here is free, you will have to wait a long time, about three weeks. You will get appointments with different doctors. This happens because of the different schedules of doctors or their absence due to the constant upgrading of their skills. Of course your history is recorded in an electronic database, but nevertheless every time you have to explain everything to a new doctor from the beginning.
In the UK there is a single phone number for all emergencies – 999. Interestingly, you can dial this number even if your phone has no signal. In order to get medical help at home, the case must be an emergency. The operator will advise you on the phone how best to proceed. If you have even a small chance of getting to A&E yourself, it is best to do so. In an emergency, such as a major highway accident, an ambulance helicopter will be sent to get you. They will take you to a hospital and give you all the care you need, free of charge.