US President Donald Trump has come under attack from Britons, after he slammed the British health care system, NHS.
Trump in a tweet targeting US Democrats pushing for a universal health system like the UK’s, said the NHS is “going broke and not working”.
On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of London in a Save the NHS march, demanding more funding for the health service. The march tagged, NHS In Crisis: Fix It Now, was organised by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity and Health Campaigns Together.
He tweeted: “The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working. Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!”
But UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt hit back at Trump on Twitter, saying he was “proud” of the UK’s system.
President Trump’s tweet came after ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage appeared on Fox And Friends, one of the president’s favourite shows, talking about the weekend march.
He said the NHS was “at breaking point due to a population crisis”, adding: “We haven’t got enough hospitals, doctors or facilities to cope.”
NHS funding has been hotly debated in the UK as hospitals struggle to cope with the pressure on resources. According to reports, an extra £4bn is needed for next year and an additional £2.5bn for both 2019 and 2020.
Hunt said that while he “disagreed with claims made on that march”, no-one wanted “to live in a system where 28 million people have no cover”.
He added: “NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage – where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance.”, Hunt said.
Other British people and leaders also replied Trump, some asking him to “mind his business” or learn from the UK system.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK opposition said: “People were marching because we love our NHS and hate what the Tories are doing to it.”
He added: “Healthcare is a human right.”
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable urged the US president to read the study, “to find out how to fund a universal healthcare system”.
Mr Farage said the NHS was “at breaking point due to a population crisis”, adding: “We haven’t got enough hospitals, doctors or facilities to cope.”
The British television presenter Piers Morgan, who calls President Trump a friend and who interviewed him last week, did not agree with the tweet:
In a joint response to the US president, the organisers of the Save NHS march said people had marched “to show their love for the principles of universal and comprehensive care free at the point of use, paid for through general taxation”.
