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Comment by IanDrake | Hacker News Reader

We should probably have something like the an optional "free" government run facility for nose bleeds, sprained ankles, and Viagra prescriptions in the US, but I'll keep my privately funded health care for real problems, thanks.

I don't even see the UK on these lists.

CT Scanners: https://www.statista.com/statistics/266539/distribution-of-e...

MRI Machines: https://www.statista.com/statistics/282401/density-of-magnet...

Perhaps the UK should be on the list, but somewhere near the bottom:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2672902/Deadly-shor...

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Did you not notice the bit where the top two countries on the CT scanner list have "free" government run facilities?

I wouldn't recommend quoting the dailymail for anything of any use beyond a laugh. They have a deadly shortage of journalism.

Haha, seriously, that's your argument?

Granted it's from 2014, but are you disputing the following facts as reported then?

"The report shows the UK has only 5.9 MRI units per million people, less than half the OECD average of 13.3."

"On CT scanners we are 30th out of 32 countries, in front of only Hungary and Mexico. The numbers concern only NHS scanners."

The source is irrelevant.

The question is how many scanners do you really need? The US has a lot of them for profit reasons not necessarily for health reasons.

"The US has a lot of them for profit reasons not necessarily for health reasons."

You seem to suggest that having the availability of life saving equipment is BAD if a profit is being made, but a lack of life saving equipment is GOOD if no profit is being made.

I am not suggesting that.

Iatrogenics is a thing

Yes, because machine number doesn't correlate to machine availability. US wait times are often worse than UK wait times for healthcare[0]. Also, would I actually trust facts reported by the dailymail, known for being inaccurate and misleading, especially in matters of science or health?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/25/gp-appointme...

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