On 22nd July after lunch when I was sitting in my chair in our kitchen-dinette overlooking our garden suddenly I felt my chair was moving, I looked around, saw everything moving! I got up and collapsed, right arm of chair hit near my right eye and it was bleeding heavily. I screamed my wife's name, she immediately came and called for ambulance. It came with 4 men in 7 minutes. They took some tests and took me to NWP hospital.
They thought it was a stroke, took me straight for MRI test in the modern wing with all the facilities! They took so many tests checking whole of my body. Result was it was a small stroke on left side of my brain affecting the right side of my body. They gave me all sorts of treatments, medicines and physio exercises incessantly, kept me for 5 days in wards specially meant for stroke. All the doctors, consultants and other ancillary staff were wonderful and caring. I came home on the 26th July. NWP also provided 2 wheel-frames to walk and organised home visits of Physio Therapist.
Likewise, in 1998 on the 50th Anniversary of NHS, our son only 11 sent a letter to Harrow Newspaper saying “Thank You NHS for saving my Dad's life when he had Heart Surgery for Mitral Valve Repairs at Harefield Hospital.”
At this point I can't help remembering the birth of fully Free NHS on July 5, 1948 when Mr. A Bevan, Health Minister, opened Park Hospital in Manchester. I wonder if he was honoured for NHS by a Reward or a Statue in his memory!
We should try to payback NHS if we can, so that it can help more people.
Upendra Kapadia
Via Email
