[MarkL]

So many suffer and even die while waiting for sub-standard treatment.

That's one of the ways that NHS, and most other government health care systems cut costs. By introducing long waits for services, there will be a natural attrition rate (i.e. people dying before they become eligible for treatment), cutting down on the overall costs. Between that and rationing (I read that kidney dialysis is no longer offered to people over a certain age through the NHS), costs are contained.

Mark

[JoeFromSidney]

Any finite resource, including medical care, will necessarily be rationed. In a free economy, it will be rationed by ability or willingness to pay. In a socialist economy, it will be rationed by waiting lines. But in either economy, it will be rationed.