Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

News

Government announces review of copayments in the NHS

BMJ 2008; 336 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a444 (Published 26 June 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;336:1455

Rapid Response:

strange logic

I am slightly perplexed as to the government's logic in this particular area. The government seems to think that inefficiently paying private providers to do NHS work is not 'privatisation', however they will not allow co-payments as it may lead to a two tier system.

I would like to point out that we already have a two tier health system as patients are already perfectly entitled to go privately for treatment. Allowing co-payments would actually help the NHS as it would encourage more patients to go privately, thus taking a bit of pressure of the stretched NHS resources and improving treatment in the NHS.

The current system is a foolish attempt at privatisation as it only results in negatives from the inefficient use of the private sector. Co- payments are routine in Australia for example and allow the state and private sectors to work more in symbiosis, as opposed to the inefficient and illogical use of competition between providers that is currently wasting millions of tax payer's funds.

Competing interests: None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

21 June 2008
benjamin dean
sho
oxford