In an eye-opening account published in the British Telegraph, journalist Isabel Oakeshott shared her unexpected encounter with Israel's healthcare system following what she described as an "embarrassing" electric scooter accident in Tel Aviv. Under the headline "What my silly accident in Tel Aviv reveals about truly world-class healthcare", Oakeshott's detailed narrative has cast a spotlight on the stark contrasts between Israel's public healthcare system and Britain's struggling National Health Service (NHS).
Perspective, as they say, is everything in life. When a British citizen experiences Israel's public healthcare system firsthand, it apparently results in profound admiration. Oakeshott, a 50-year-old reporter and commentator for the Telegraph, used her opinion piece published on Wednesday to deliver a scathing critique of Britain's NHS, which has faced years of severe criticism for slow and deficient service, resource shortages, and inefficiency.
The original article was published on the Telegraph website and can be viewed here
In her article, Oakeshott referenced the treatment received by hostages who returned from Gaza "in the world's best hospitals". She then transitioned to her own experience: "The story of how I too ended up in one of these medical facilities does not, unfortunately, involve any heroism in war coverage. Embarrassingly, it involves falling off an electric scooter—an unpleasant accident that nevertheless gave me a taste of world-leading healthcare services".
The accident occurred at dusk as Oakeshott was gliding on the scooter at speed, admiring the view of Tel Aviv's promenade, young volleyball players, and joggers. "Suddenly, the wind blew my hat off, sending it sailing through the air like a small kite. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the sidewalk, seeing stars. Perhaps I hit a bump while turning to look for my vanishing hat, or maybe I simply lost my balance. Either way, I flew over the handlebars and landed hard. While my jaw and chin hit the sidewalk, the rest of my body crashed against the folded frame of the scooter".
Two passersby helped her reach a bench, where she sat suffering from dizziness, trying to determine if she had broken any bones or teeth. "I cut my chin and it wouldn't stop bleeding, but everything else seemed generally fine". On her way back to the hotel, her face paled and she developed a severe headache. "Night had fallen by now, and I was alone in a city I didn't know, with only a few shekels in my pocket and not a word of Hebrew. I really, really didn't want to go to the hospital, but the more I searched on Google, the more afraid I became".
She recalled the death of British actress Natasha Richardson, who died after an apparently minor fall on a ski slope. For several hours, Richardson seemed fine while suffering from a fatal brain injury. "What if I too was experiencing what doctors call a 'lucid interval'—a brief symptom-free period of a life-threatening head injury? How could I risk going to sleep? And so I found myself at Ichilov Medical Center".
"There are no miserable NHS-style 12-hour waits here. Just specialist attention within literal minutes", she wrote. It's worth noting that in Israeli hospitals, waiting times for specialist doctors in the emergency room certainly don't stand at just a few minutes, and there are many days throughout the year when people wait long hours in emergency rooms that are overwhelmingly crowded. She was asked to pay £250 (about 1,200 shekels) upfront, as is requested from visitors from abroad.
"Results came back in less than an hour"
"I noticed the eclectic mix of illnesses and injuries typical of all emergency departments: weak people in wheelchairs, anxious mothers caring for sick children". This, according to her description, is where the similarity to NHS emergency services ended. "No one was lying on stretchers in the corridor, no ambulances outside unable to drop off patients due to lack of beds or staff, no need for police officers to maintain order. The atmosphere was completely relaxed".
Within less than an hour, she described, "I was facing a cheerful doctor with excellent English. He looked at me carefully, patched up the cut on my chin, and listened patiently. Blood tests were taken. The results came back in less than an hour. My prognosis? Perfectly fine".
Here again, it should be clarified that the Israeli healthcare system is grappling with a severe shortage of doctors, nurses, and infrastructure. Therefore, patients sometimes have to be hospitalized in corridors, and on most days there are patients in beds waiting in line for emergency care, contrary to the British journalist's description.
Oakeshott came to Israel to learn about the innovation of defense industries and to visit the Technion. "Fortunately, I could still do all that, but the accident shifted my focus to Israel's esteemed healthcare system. The contrast with the NHS was too striking to ignore". She described how, based on mandatory health insurance, Israel ensures universal healthcare even for the poorest citizens. "Both in terms of efficiency and results, it ranks among the best in the world—as I can attest. By 10 PM, I was back in my hotel room, stunned, in pain, and feeling very foolish. I had been in the hospital for less than two hours. (In Britain, about 5,700 patients a day have to wait more than 12 hours to be seen in the emergency room)".
She further described how at Ichilov they use artificial intelligence tools that accelerate the initial reception process and how robots provide guidance and information. "In quiet moments, the staff amuses itself by testing the artificial intelligence: checking if it understands slang (it does) and can distinguish between male and female voices (it can)".
Isabel Oakeshott, it should be noted, has been involved in several scandals that have made waves in the United Kingdom. Among other things, she co-wrote a book describing how former British Prime Minister David Cameron performed a sexual act with a dead pig (the "Pig-gate" affair). She was also at the center of the leak of a telegram from former British Ambassador Sir Nigel Kim Darroch against then-President Donald Trump. The Guardian claimed she obtained the telegram after sleeping with right-wing figure Nigel Farage or businessman Aaron Banks—and was forced to publish an apology.
According to the British journalist, the NHS could learn from the Israeli healthcare system. And what about her own lessons from the accident on Tel Aviv's promenade? She returned to riding an electric scooter but tries to be careful and no longer wears hats that might fly off in the wind.
