If you’ve been a fairly regular reader of this my writing platform, aka blog, you may have now realised that I like to rant, most times out of proportion! It just makes me laugh at myself. Well, today’s post is one of such. Easy read though, easy read! Enjoy!
So about 3-4 years ago, this island decided that all the expatriates like us whether students or workers were not paying enough to pay for our bodily maintenance! That even though international students were paying over double the nationals in schools fees, it wasn’t still enough. Especially as it was not like they were being taught in levitating classrooms by out-of-this-world alien lecturers in first-class lounges, serving tea and coffee! It would also appear that the national insurance contributions being made from and before our salaries hit our bank accounts, were also not enough either.
So they decided to introduce a health care charge of about £200 per year to compensate for this added service we were apparently making very good use of. So about two years ago when I was renewing my visa, I had to cough that out and as much as I was annoyed, that didn’t lessen the sting of the debit as the money took a left my bank account!
You must know by now how I don’t like subscriptions, and this feels like one of them. Especially as it’s being paid yearly, upfront! (But to be fair, it’s probably cheaper than doing pay-as-you-go with hospital visits. Here, you better be rich or better yet have Pastor Benny Heal, sorry, Hinn on speed dial!)
It’s like they forgot that some of us were supposed to be part of the commonwealth of this ‘Israel‘. Maybe the commonwealth does not include a common health!
Then you wouldn’t believe what happened! I think I can officially say I have visited the hospital more times since I started paying that service charge. It seemed as if my mind wasn’t happy with the cash exit, that it started playing tricks on my body to get it to make sure it gets full value for money especially as we’d paid upfront!
Last year, I visited the hospital about 5 times. Just in the last quarter of the year oh! Now that’s a record! This year, I have been twice! And it’s not even June yet. GOD have mercy!
It would be interesting to see the results if the NHS did a quick analysis of the migrant status of their customer base to compare the before and after numbers since the health charges were introduced.
I can almost guess the after-numbers be more, if immigrant minds and bodies protested like mine did. Maybe before the extra charges, people would have just done odeshi for the sickness and/or self-medicate or even just take time off work to sleep/rest to recover.
But now, if they sneeze, omo, the doctor must hear about it! Ambulance needs to come get ’em!
The race for full value for money. Is. Real.
Maybe this is just me wanting them to remove the charge as another payment is in the near future. Maybe one of them will read this and forgive me all charges to be levied against me. (I’ll be forever indebted if you do!)
Anyhow, I really shouldn’t be talking as I haven’t paid school fees for all my studies on this island. Hehehe… GOD has been good! GOD pass them!
So this is for those who don’t have a voice but will like to say something too. Eh, I Miss Christie, gatchu! Lol . . .
To your seeing the funny in the serious, . . .
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