Mark Drummond, the 29-year-old survivor of a horrific shark attack off Sydney’s Bondi Beach, has regained consciousness after a marathon surgery that lasted nearly eight hours. The British expat, who lost a leg and sustained severe lacerations, is now in a stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital. But the real story, as always, is the cost.
The taxpayer-funded NHS has long been the butt of jokes about waiting lists and crumbling infrastructure. Yet here, in the private sector down under, British-trained surgeons performed a medical miracle. The irony is not lost on this columnist.
While the U.K. government bleats about ‘levelling up’, our best talent is doing their best work abroad.
The question is: what does this say about our own national balance sheet? The human cost is incalculable, but the economic one is not. A life saved is a life that can contribute to GDP.
But at what price? The family faces a six-figure medical bill. One hopes the insurance payout is sufficient.
Otherwise, we may see a capital flight of another kind: a flight back to Blighty for treatment. Let us hope the markets are not the only thing volatile this summer.
