We are very fortunate to have free health care in this country, but with privilege comes responsibility.

It is within our interests to keep healthcare costs down to maximise the NHS’s ability to treat us properly. For example, smoking costs the NHS £1.4 billion pounds a year. So in theory we are all better off quitting smoking, saving our health and saving the NHS money. As we know though, life doesn’t work like that and we often treat privileges as a right.

As observed when the smoking ban came in, insisting on quitting is seen as a violation of civil liberties. It is our decision if we want to put our health at risk and our tax money goes into keeping the NHS and its services, so essentially, its our money to waste.

So what are we to do? Continue to haemorrhage cash out of organisation designed to help us at the price of protecting our civil liberties or is the greater good of the NHS and our health worth sacrificing our freedom of choice for? 

I am staying impartial on this one, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.