Health service in Great Britain

HEALTH SERVICE IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE USA

СИСТЕМА ОХОРОНИ ЗДОРОВ’Я У ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНІЇ ТА США

PART I

HEALTH SERVICE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Exercise 1. Topic Vocabulary

To be passed through the Parliament - бути прийнятим Парламентом

Royal Assent - королівське схвалення

Nursing homes -приватні лікарні

Well-off people -забезпечені люди

Governing body - керівний орган

Unqualified -некваліфікований

Besides -окрім

At the disposal - у розпорядженні

By appointment only -тільки за попереднім записом

Exercise 2. Learn the following abbreviations, their explanation and translation

NHS -the National Health Service (Державна служба охорони здоров’я)

GPS - the General Practitioner Services (Служба лікарів загальної практики)

FDS - the Family Doctor Service (Служба сімейних лікарів)

DS - the Dental Service (Стоматологічна допомога)

PhS - the Pharmaceutical Service (Фармацевтична служба)

GMC - the General Medical Council (Генеральна Медична Рада)

GP - General Practitioner (практикуючий лікар)

Exercise 3. Translate into Ukrainian

Free medical treatment, emergency medical treatment, a visitor from abroad, a range of home and clinical services, private hospitals, Family Doctor Service, unqualified persons, to prefer to be private patients, at the disposal both of hospital and family doctors, primary medical care, to provide consultant services in surgery, a definite time to attend a specialist

Exercise 4. Use the appropriate article where it is necessary. Explain your choice

1) The health service in … USA is different from that in … Ukraine.

2) They are … practicing psychologists.

3) Sarah can play … guitar.

4) I live in … apartment. … apartment is new.

5) … price of gas keeps rising.

6) I have never heard about … Kingdom of Toledo.

7) They did not study … Literature.

8) India is the second most populous country in … world.

9) Please wait for … hour for the test results.

10) They went to the park … last night.

Exercise 5. Read the following statements. Agree or contradict them. Compare your opinion with the information of the text below.

1) Most of the hospitals in Great Britain are private.

2) Health service in Britain is free for everybody, even foreigners.

3) Foreigners can’t receive any free medical service.

4) Family doctors cannot use the resources of health centers.

5) The doctor is the most important person in the health center.

Exercise 6. Read the text and be ready to discuss it

HEALTH SERVICE IN GREAT BRITAIN

The National Health Service Act was passed through the Parliament in 1946. After two years of discussion the Act received the Royal Assent on July 5, 1948 and was introduced into practice. Similar services operate in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Most medical treatment in Great Britain is free but charges are made for drugs, spectacles, and dental care. Free emergency medical treatment is given to any visitor from abroad who becomes ill while staying in the country. But those who come to the UK especially for treatment must pay for it.

NHS provides free medical treatment both in hospitals and outside. It consists of three main parts: the general practitioner (including dental) services (GPS); the hospital and specialist service; local health authorities services comprising a range of home and clinical services for prevention, treatment or care.

People are free to choose any medical service or any doctor. In big towns there are some private hospitals called “nursing homes”. Many well-off people prefer to be private patients. In fact, 97% of the population uses NHS. The practitioner services consist of the Family Doctor Service (FDS), the Dental Service (DS), and the Pharmaceutical Service (PhS). All these services provide the patient with individual medical care that he needs.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the governing body of the medical profession. It sees to it that no unqualified persons practice medicine.

Besides numerous hospitals there are more than 150 health centers in the UK. They contain all the special diagnostic and therapeutic services which doctors need, such as electrocardiography, X-ray, physiotherapy, good administrative and medical records system. The resources of health centers are at the disposal both of hospital and family doctors. Health centers are the basis of primary care.

There are centers which provide consultant services in general medicine and surgery, ear-nose-throat diseases, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, psychiatry and orthopedics. All consultations in the center are by appointment only. The patient is given a definite time to attend. Each doctor decides for himself how many patients he can examine for an hour. The patient is the most important person in the health center and all the efforts of doctors are directed to help him as much as possible.