[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          BRITISH HOSPITAL PATIENTS DRINK OUT OF FLOWER VASES

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, while our President preaches the 
virtues of government-run health care, the Prime Minister of Great 
Britain is apologizing to his country for their socialized system. And 
no wonder--Bella Bailey went to Staffordshire Hospital for minor 
surgery. But things were so bad, she got scared because of the poorly 
trained English staff. Her fears proved correct when a nurse dropped 
Bailey on the floor. Her daughter said, ``Meals were brought to 
patients who couldn't feed themselves, but the staff wouldn't help. 
Elderly men wandered the halls in a confused state. Vulnerable patients 
were left hungry and dirty screaming in pain without help.''
  ``Some patients were so thirsty, they drank from flower vases. It was 
like a third-world country. Things were so bad, I fed patients and took 
them to the lavatory. It was like I was watching my mum die and others 
too.''
  Well, Mrs. Bailey did die in that government-run hospital from 
injuries sustained while there. Do we really want the government 
controlling access to health care? Nationalized health care will have 
the competence of FEMA, the efficiency of the Post Office, and the 
compassion of the IRS.
  And that's just the way it is.

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