World News for Students of English

28-08-2024 07:00

In Britain, healthcare is facing serious challenges, including long waiting lists and understaffed hospitals.

Patients like Chloe Kirbyshire, who has been waiting six months for a specialist for her daughter, are increasingly frustrated. Chloe’s daughter has a severe eating problem; however, doctors haven’t been able to provide a solution. The situation is not unique to Chloe; over 6 million patients are also waiting months or years for specialist appointments. The healthcare crisis has worsened due to underfunding by the previous Conservative government, which spent less on healthcare than other European countries. Doctors and nurses are leaving their jobs due to poor working conditions, leading to a shortage of around 100,000 staff in England. Many suffer from mental health issues, and some have tragically taken their own lives.

The new Labour government has promised improvements, but the situation remains critical, with many fearing for the future of healthcare in the country.

Difficult words: understaffed (having too few workers), unique (special or unusual), underfunding (insufficient provision of money for a particular purpose).

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