Step away from the puppy

We really want to like the London NHS. We don't envy the lot of our put-upon medical professionals, who seem to spend more time typing than we do, when they're not getting splashed by fluids we don't dare think about. And we're grateful that unlike our friends across the pond, we don't have to live in fear of being charged extortionate prices for everything from antibiotics to birth control pills.

But, dear London NHS, a story that we read yesterday has chipped our shaky faith in you.

Hackneyite Alyssa McDonald was bitten by a dog when travelling for work in Romania. The Romanians gave her a rabies injection and sent her on her way with clear instructions on the necessary follow-up treatment. But as she recounts in this piece in yesterday's New Statesman, the health care practitioners who she ran across were shockingly unhelpful... Was this a terrible fluke, or a clear indication that you should book a flight to Bucharest if you're planning on a dog-related mishap anytime soon?

Adorable, but potentially lethal, puppy courtesy Terry Bain's Flickr stream

Written by Jean on 28 Mar 2008 10:25 AM. Permalink