Gerald,

So sorry to hear about your travails with your NHS Health service - I have experience of both NHS Wales and the Public Health Service in Hong Kong, which is modelled on the original NHS in the UK.

For your info: It has taken me approx. 3 minutes to make a automated booking with my Medical Practice, which is about 100 yards from where I reside. You can make a personal appointment on the day itself or a phone appointment, its done either with a real person or Hong Kong's automated system - you require either a HKSAR Identity Card, Birth Certificate or Passport. The service is free for OAP's or low saleried/on social welfare. If you are not poor it's £5.00 to see a Doctor, this includes your prescription or £10.00 to see a Consultant and you get issued up to 24 weeks of medication from the Hospital.

I see my GP once per month for my prescription and if necessary, when ever I require a medical visit. I'm also an OutPatient at a local Hospital that deals with Asthma and now a Outpatient at another Hospital under a Consultant Rheumatologist, it took six weeks to get my first appointment and I now see the Consultant every six months.

If anything is very serious, you attend the Queen Mary Teaching Hospital, which is a very good Hospital in Asia.

Now, I also deal with my own Doctors Clinic in South Wales, as well as local Hospitals. Our service is now dire after the local health authority outsourced the day to day operation of two health centres, one of which has now been taken back under local authority control. My own Medical Centre in Pontypool still has huge problems. Prior to this privatisation, the Health Centre had a good reputation. Thank God I have travel insurance each time I visit the UK!!!

Given the realities, despite not being wealthy, I'm far better off in Hong Kong than in the UK. Christ, I can now even get public housing for 75% less a month than what I presently pay - I'll be applying for this in January.

How sad the UK now is, completely different to the place I knew in the 80s and that was under bloody Thatcher!