Spending priorities 4

I posted here about the NHS spending scarce resources on trivia like an oral history project. I couldn't help thinking of this when I read this .

A six-year-old Wiltshire girl is due to undergo surgery to remove a disfiguring birthmark from her face.

Ellie Brown, from Calne, has a huge dark mole across her right cheek and side of her nose

Her parents have raised £10,000 towards their daughter's treatment.

The fact that her parents have had to raise money for the treatment is strongly suggestive that the NHS have refused to pay. This impression is confirmed by this posting by someone fund raising for the family.

The Adam Smith Institute today notes that the Government is spending £78 billion per year or £3196 per household per year on the NHS. As they note

You could buy a pretty good medical insurance plan for that. And you wouldn't have to queue up to see a doctor, either.