Imangine the following scenario:
Patient visits his doctor.
Patient: Hello doctor, I have come to collect my life saving drugs.
Doctor: That will be £3,000 for a months supply please.
Patient: Oh, it has always been free.
Doctor: Sorry, but we have lost our funding.
Patient: What has the money been spent on.
Doctor: keeping the orchestra going.
Patient: Oh no, what am I supposed to do. I cannot afford this.
Doctor: Die i guess.
Patient: Is there anything you can do to help me.
Doctor: Certainly, here are 2 tickets to The Marriage of Figaro. Bye.
Imagine the more realistic and credible version of your scenario:
Patient visits his doctor.
Patient: Hello doctor, I have come to collect my life saving drugs.
Doctor: I am not a pharmacy, I am your doctor. I will treat you if you wish me to do so and, if I think fit, I will prescribe you appropriate drugs and, if they are needed to save your life, then so be it. Now, what appears to be the problem?
Patient: I think that I have bowel cancer.
Doctor: Let me be the best judge of that. I will send you for some tests. The fee for these will be £1,000 and my consultation fees are charged at an hourly rate of £300. I assume that you have insurance.
Patient: I never felt that I needed it before when the state funded any treatment that I might have to have.
Dcotor: So you are uninsured. I am sorry but you'll have to find the cost yourself or obtain insurance first; did no one ever tell you that the cessation of state health insurence means that you'll need your own, unless you are too poor to afford it, in which case you apply to the state hardship fund for assistance?
Patient: I don't know, doctor; I suppose that I wasn't paying attention.
Doctor: OK, so you go away, get yourself fixed up financially one way or another and then we'll see what we can do for you.
Patient: Yes, doctor, I'll take your advice. How much do I owe you for this consultation?
Doctor: Nothing; the first one is free and without obligation. See you soon.
Patient: Thank you, doctor. By the way, I read in
The Daily Thalegraph that the government took away state health cover in order to continue to fund the BBC orchestras? Is that really true?
Doctor: If you believe that, you'll believe that I'm an orchestral oboist! I must ask you to leave now, as I have another patient to see.
Patient: Thank you, doctor; I'll make another appointment as soon as I have the finance sorted out. In the meantime, I'm gong to see The Marriage of Figaro tonight.
Doctor: Well, maybe I'll see you sooner rather than later, then; so am I! - but if you can afford the price of a ticket, which is more than I make in a hour, you can almost certainly afford insurance! Bye!
Best,
Alistair