I keep ruminating on this day. Waking in the night in a cold, sweaty panic even. I expect I will for a while. One thing that keeps swirling around in my mind, maybe since it’s close to home, is just how crucial it is that the NHS, mountain rescue and coast guard are all funded by taxes/donations, and not the individual.
The man being airlifted out of the Coire in this video is a mere 19 years of age. Not much younger than I was when I woke up with a ruptured appendix in 2003. Following a misdiagnosis in the ER and being sent home with the ‘flu,’ my condition rapidly deteriorated over the 5 days I laid in bed hoping to improve. Eventually, I was rushed back to the ER on the brink of death. I ended up as an inpatient for over a month, due to complications from the delay in treatment. I should be dead really. My medical bill, once insurance covered their portion, was over $50k. I was still in university with a toddler to support at the time.
Had this guy fallen off a mountain in Alaska, the helicopter alone would be around the $50k mark - medical bills and any other transportation required, like an ambulance, would be extra. I found out laterally he nearly lost his foot that night and needs to be in hospital for a month at least. If he’d had this accident in the US, he’d most likely be bankrupt now.
Adding insult to injury (literally), in the US, if you’re unable to pay your medical bills, your wages can be garnished – leaving an individual who’s already struggling unable to pay for housing, food and utilities.
As someone who’s lived in both systems, I really cannot overstate the value of these social services. It’s a big part of the reason I moved here and plan to stay. Nobody should ever have to play Russian Roulette with their own, or worse, their child’s life, because they’re too scared that in seeking help, they will end up destitute.
I don’t usually subscribe to the way many use the word luck, but in this case, I think it applies. In more than one way, this young man was so very lucky – living somewhere with access to MRT, HM Coast Guard and the NHS is a big one of them.