3. The British National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948 and
was designed to provide equal basic health care, free of charge, for
everybody in the country. Before this time health care had to be paid for
by individuals.
Nowadays central government is directly responsible for the NHS
although it is administered by local health authorities. About 83 percent
of the cost of the health service is paid for by general taxation and the
rest is met from the National Insurance contributions paid by those in
work. There are charges for prescription and dental care but many people,
such as children, pregnant women, pensioners, and those on Income Support,
are exempt from payment.
Most people are registered with a local doctor (a GP, or General
Practitioner) who is increasingly likely to be part of a health centre
which serves the community.
As the population of Britain gets older, the hospital service now
treats more patients than before, although patients spend less time in
hospital. NHS hospitals—many of which were built in the nineteenth
century—provide nearly half a million beds and have over 480, 000 medical
staff. The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe although Britain actually
spends less per person on health care than most of her European
neighbours.
During the 1980s there was considerable restructuring of the Health
Service with an increased emphasis on managerial efficiency and the
privatization of some services (for example, cleaning). At the end of the
1980s the government introduced proposals for further reform of the NHS,
including allowing some hospitals to be self-governing, and encouraging
GPs to compete for patients. Patients would be able to choose and change
their family doctor more easily and GPs would have more financial
responsibility. The political questions continue of how much money should
be provided to support the NHS and where it should come from.
1). We can know from the first paragraph that ______.
A. the original aim of the NHS was to provide equal basic health care for
everybody
B. people didn’t have to pay for health care since the NHS was set up
C. patients were charged for receiving health care before 1948
D. the NHS was an organization which gave free advice to villagers
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