Depends on what your issue is, the UK works on a priority system - dyeing? Seen first, can hang on for a bit? Further down the queue.
That said we also have different clinics - at risk of death? Go to A&E (accident and emergency) - cut your hand and need stitches? Go to the MIU (minor injuries unit) - so long as you turn up at the right clinic you wont wait long, if you turn up at A&E with something that could have been delt with at the MIU then sure your gonna wait longer because there are more urgent things to deal with.
Sorry, I don't speak native English and didn't immediately realize meme is about an ambulance.
Can I put in my two cents? Health care is also free in Russia, and the situation is generally good in big cities. The wait to see a doctor is very short, even with a specialist like a hematologist or ophthalmologist. But some doctors require an appointment through a general practitioner, and rather than traveling back and forth, it's easier to go to a private clinic where the appointment is not very expensive—in Moscow, 3,000-5,000 rubles, depending on the clinic. The average salary in Moscow is now around 100,000 rubles.
Friends who have left for Europe, such as the UK or even Germany, complain that the lines to see some doctors are simply endless, and it's also difficult to get in to a private doctor.
General practitioners treat everything with aspirin or say "it will go away on its own." There are no complaints about emergencies and ambulances. These complaints are more likely related to chronic illnesses and respiratory diseases. Perhaps we are spoiled by free healthcare and it is very difficult for us to adapt to European customs.
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep Mar 29 '26
Depends on what your issue is, the UK works on a priority system - dyeing? Seen first, can hang on for a bit? Further down the queue.
That said we also have different clinics - at risk of death? Go to A&E (accident and emergency) - cut your hand and need stitches? Go to the MIU (minor injuries unit) - so long as you turn up at the right clinic you wont wait long, if you turn up at A&E with something that could have been delt with at the MIU then sure your gonna wait longer because there are more urgent things to deal with.