COVID DRIVES MORE PEOPLE IN UK TOFUND OWN OPERATIONS

The Guardian - A major private hospital group says it has experienced a doubling in the number of patients opting to pay out of their own pocket for a range of procedures because they fear they will not be seen because the NHS is struggling with a backlog of operations. HCA Healthcare, which runs some of the best-known private hospitals in London, including the Portland and the Lister, as well as providing private care at Guy’s, said: “We have seen double the number of self-pay procedures in hip surgeries, ophthalmology (cataracts) and abdominal procedures on last year. “People are also coming to our London hospitals from further afield than normal, particularly from the south and south-west of England where we have seen 25% to 35% more self-pay patients.” Spire Healthcare, which runs 39 private hospitals across the UK, also reported an upsurge. Its chief operating officer, John Forrest, said...>>>