Actually, I had originally assumed they weren’t all doctors and nurses, but the announcers kept insisting that every performer on stage was a doctor or nurse.
But I assume that there is a vast NHS beauracracy who was still hard at work while the rest of them were practicing for the olympics.
As to “everybody uses it”, even my family has used it. We were visiting friends in 1994, and one day left our daughter with them to take a quick trip down to see Wimbledon stadium, and my daughter woke up with a fever, so they ran her to the doctor and she had an ear infection and the put her on antibiotics.
That would be what they would call the “positive side” of universal health care.
On the “acheivements” issue, I don’t see something ubiquitous within a country to be the same as an acheivement of the country. Even if you were making an Olympic opening ceremony that was inwardly focused, NHS is hardly an “acheivement” — it doesn’t take special gifts to simply socialize your medical care. Many countries have managed it.
IT’s not an “achievement” like inventing the world wide web, or the Beatles.
But really, the childrens books and the childrens hospital, those were really good things to focus on.
I am not aware that the dancers were actual staff.
Actually, it seems you were right. Albeit most of the 600 ‘nhs’ people there seem to have been the kids of GOSH.
Those who were nurses etc I would assume were there on leave, having taken this as part of their holidays. With NHS cuts, there would be no way imo they’d be pulled off work. The backlash here would have been huge.
‘That would be what they would call the “positive side” of universal health care.’
Don’t know why. It’s not as if I can’t call my doc and take my boy to him that morning. And if it’s “off hours” and that bad - take him to a store clinic or those new walk-in clinics popping up all over the place suddenly (1st I knew of was living in CT 15 years ago), never mind ER if absolutely needed. Seems capitalism has already resolved the issue of “off hours” or “out of town” by itself.