[log in to unmask],Net writes:
>Behalf Of Martin Bradley
>Sent:	15 April 1998 21:08
>To:	GP-UK

> Is there anything
>that can be done to change the emphasis from numbers to need?  Can the
>public be better informed?  Can the quality of political debate be
>improved?
>Are there any GPs out there who feel the governments priority is
>appropriate?

er I know this may seem a radical suggestion, but how about getting
groups of GPs like you and me, with a stiffening of professional
management and health economists, a mathematician or at least
statistician or two and some others who understand needs and so on like
Social service people, nurses and the other professions allied to
medicine (PAMs) to set the priorities, and leaving them free to tell
the citizens what order things should be done in?

Gosh, had somebody else suggested that already?<g>

I had one like that, and curiously enough, after mentioning the
situation to various organs of the Press, writing to support the Health
Secretary in his comments about the organisation of our cardiac service
(under the internal market) and one or two other manoevres, my patient
was dealt with recently and close to home.  And is doing well.

I suppose some sort of scoring system, worked over a district,  - oh
dear here comes that co-operative bit again - could allow us to tot up
the sum total of human suffering awaiting relief, and then we could
balance the various options against each other for reducing it.





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