Holford Watch, the esteemed health blog praised by the Guardian, Telegraph, Private Eye and House of Commons amongst others, have released a long and detailed examination of the Green Party’s health policies, from concerns over mercury fillings to dependence on the NHS:

A number of aspects of the manifesto are strikingly flawed, to the point of being offensive. Many people rely on the NHS - and for a serious party to come up with a health policy this bad is frankly insulting.

The manifesto insists (HE103) that

Health services can create dependence on the part of users, which is itself unhealthy.

Absolutely, people can become dependent on services in unhealthy ways. However, while self-management of many conditions is desirable, it can be perfectly healthy and sensible for people to depend on health services for some aspects of their care. For example, Type 1 diabetics depend on access to a supply of insulin while many people depend on a supply of anti-retroviral medication.

It would be nice if more people could manage without any health services. However, for many of people, in the absence of miracle cures the alternative to reliance on particular interventions is understandably unappealing.

It’s a well informed and thorough examination, so be sure to read the full article.

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