The United Kingdom to the rescue of its health system

St Thomas Hospital in North London.

AFP - DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The United Kingdom releases a new envelope of 7 billion euros, to support the health service of the country (the National Health Service) increasingly struggling in a context of resumption of the pandemic.

The country has recorded nearly half a million cases of Covid-19 in the past two weeks, more than France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined. 

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We are determined to get the health service back on track and to make sure that no one has to wait for tests or life-saving treatments

," promised Rishi Sunak, the UK finance minister.

Since the start of the pandemic in fact, the NHS, National Health Service, a free system very popular with the British, has been falling behind schedule and is in short supply of staff and hospital beds. 

► See also: United Kingdom: increase in social contributions, the Conservatives see red

Millions of patients wait for tests to get a diagnosis or have elective surgery.

So that they can finally seek treatment, the executive will therefore inject 6 billion pounds into the health system.

Of this amount, 2.3 billion pounds (or 2.7 billion euros) will be used to create a hundred diagnostic centers "one-stop" to detect serious diseases, such as cancer. 

One and a half billion pounds will increase the number of beds, equipment and create new surgical centers.

Amounts in addition to the 5 and a half billion pounds already released in September.

On Wednesday October 27, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is due to present his budget.

The latter is eagerly awaited because it sets the guidelines for the country in order to redress the debt hollowed out by the support plans to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, with, no doubt, an increase in taxes to finance these new investments. 

► See also: United Kingdom: healthcare workers want priority access to fuel

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  • Coronavirus