Health services in Estonia, Israel and Austria provide safer care than Britain and the U.S., a report has revealed – with the U.K. failing to make the top 20. The Mail has more.
Researchers at the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London examined data on 38 developed countries.
The experts focused on four key patient safety indicators for their rankings: maternal mortality, treatable mortality, adverse effects of medical treatment and neonatal disorders.
This includes causes of death that can be mostly avoided through timely and effective healthcare, including screening and treatment, and medical blunders.
Norway finished top of the league table, followed by Sweden and South Korea, while the U.K. placed 21st and Mexico last.
The U.S. fell within the bottom six, according to the rankings.
The analysis suggests 17,356 lives could have been saved in the U.K. in 2019 if it had performed at the level of the top 10% of countries.
This would have meant 15,773 fewer deaths classified as treatable mortality, 776 fewer neonatal deaths, 27 fewer maternal deaths and 780 fewer deaths due to adverse effects of medical treatment.
Many others have survived poor care but have been left with avoidable physical or mental disabilities, which are not captured by this report, the authors note.
So much for the world-beating NHS, remarks the Mail.
Worth reading in full.
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