Photographs: Bloomberg and Getty Images; Photo Illustration: Bloomberg
UK
Britain’s NHS Black Hole Is Devouring the Whole Country
The UK is facing a stark choice between funding public services or saving its health system.
For the 8,000 people suffering from cystic fibrosis in the UK, Kaftrio is a miracle drug. For the cash-strapped National Health Service, it’s a foretaste of an unaffordable future.
Costing £100,000 ($123,000) a year per patient, Kaftrio could add hundreds of millions of pounds to the £180 billion annual NHS bill, a new liability even as the service struggles to manage its worst winter crisis yet. Excess deaths are soaring, ambulance waits are at record highs, patients lie for hours on trolleys, and stressed-out staff are striking over pay and conditions.