UK Expat Flies to India for Surgery After Frustrating NHS Experience

A social media post has triggered outrage after a social media influencer of Indian origin criticized the UK's National Health Service (NHS) for the delayed treatment of his medical emergency. He described his experience of being denied timely treatment for a serious cut on his hand and said he finally had to go to India for the treatment. His post sparked widespread discussion about the efficiency of the NHS.

Aryan Mangal, the individual at the center of the controversy, posted a video on Instagram explaining his experience. He talked about getting a serious injury to his hand when the glass broke and he could not lift one of his fingers. With an immediate injury, he went to a pharmacy. Their team saw it was a serious injury and urged him to go to hospital. They put a bandage on the cut and gave him some energy tablets to avoid feeling dizzy.

Once he got to the hospital, Mangal waited for three hours before a doctor saw him. He was told he would need to come back the next day to see a hand plastic surgeon. When he consulted the surgeon, he injected numbing medication and scheduled surgery for three days later. Just as he was about to leave again, he started bleeding again from the cut. The doctor gave him a tighter bandage and gave him extra dressings in case the bleeding continued when he went home.

Mangal later developed a fever due to an infection in the wound and had to take medication. That same evening, he noticed multiple missed calls from the NHS, along with a voicemail informing him that his surgery had been postponed by 4–5 days. Feeling fed up with the ongoing delays, he made the decision to fly to India, where the doctors quickly took care of his surgery to fix his tendon and close up the wound.

Sharing his experience on Instagram, he said, "The doctors were really professional and kind, but the delays were just too much. I had to look for treatment somewhere else." He also noted that he would be starting physiotherapy soon after having his stitches taken out.

His post sparked a variety of reactions on social media, with some users resonating with Mangal’s frustrations about the NHS and its sluggish service. One NHS dentist admitted, "I work in the system, and even I have had poor experiences. If needed, I would also prefer to travel to India for treatment."

Others, however, defended the NHS, emphasizing that treatment in the UK was free. "You fail to mention that the care you received in the UK didn’t cost you anything. Was the treatment in India free? Probably not. So, is this really a fair comparison?" one person commented.

Another user pointed out, "It’s unfair to compare the NHS to private hospitals in India. If you were willing to pay for private healthcare in the UK, you would have received quicker treatment too. The comparison should be made with Indian government hospitals, where conditions are often worse than in the UK."

Many also highlighted the dedication of Indian doctors while lamenting that they do not always receive the respect they deserve. "Doctors in India do exceptional work, yet they are often undervalued," one user wrote.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)