NHS Is Relying On Age-old Medical Equipment, Claims The Labor Party

The labor party makes a shocking claim against the NHS. It claims that the NHS is relying on age-old medical equipment to perform the routine medical diagnosis. Majority of that medical equipment is being used for a more extended period past its date of replacement.

According to the officials, the medical equipment being used at NHS for the early cancer detection and brain injury treatment are all at an increased risk of failure. If the use of such outdated medical equipment continues, it might threaten the life of critically ill patients residing in the country.

The Freedom of Information Research highlights hundreds of critical machinery being used even after their replacement date. Some of them are as follows:

X-ray machines. About 892 X-ray machines are about ten years older with one hundred and thirty-nine past their replacement dates.

Ultrasound Machines: Ultrasound machines are used to create a picture of internal body parts. Around two hundred and ninety-five ultra-sound devices are about ten years old.

Similarly, forty-six MRI scanners, forty-five CT scanners are about ten years old and still in use.

A hospital in Leeds was using an X-ray machine which dates back to the year 1984, while Oxford shows the presence of a 1992 ultrasound machine.

Labour says, “Any new funding deal for the NHS will have to make up for years of cuts to capital budgets, which have left hospitals unable to replace essential equipment and have put patients in danger. The government has taken £3.8bn out of NHS capital budgets, leaving a £5.5bn backlog in outstanding maintenance works.”

It is urging the government to contribute £1.6bn to the Institute of Fiscal Studies to equate the United Kingdom with the comparable countries in possessing the similar number of CT scanners as well as the MRI scanners.