By Andreas Whittam Smith
A screening programme for heart and kidney disease, cancer, strokes and diabetes sounds like a good idea. But I doubt whether the Government will prove capable of delivering it. You can tell from the statement itself that incompetence still rules.
First it was extensively leaked beforehand. That shows that political calculation has played at least as large a part in the decision as medical advice. Second, the announcement was made by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, rather than by the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson. This downgrades the role of the Department of Health, which is quite a good way of rendering it less effective. Third, Parliament was left out of the loop so that scrutiny of the proposals was weakened. And fourth, doctors leaders tell us that there was no consultation with the medical profession beforehand.
Each of these deficiencies is a mark of government by gesture. And that
is why I believe that the likelihood of the new services ever being
made widely available by this dysfunctional government are close to
zero. If I am wrong, I will donate a pint of blood to the Health
Service rather than eat my hat.
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