I am writing to comment on John Craig’s My Word piece in the Gazette & Herald of May 1, ‘Can we stop death by the NHS?’ I cannot decide whether or not Mr Craig is a fan of the NHS or not.

Certainly, no one would disagree with him about the need to reduce the amount of bureaucracy. And let’s not forget that the much vaunted NHS reorganisation brought in by Andrew Landsley and Jeremy Hunt has apparently cost over £3bn, with many of the NHS bean counters being made redundant later being reemployed.

And no one would disagree with Mr Craig about the need for patients to be treated with compassion and care. The Mid Staffordshire scandal is fresh in all our minds.

But it seems to me there is a constant drip, drip by those in the media, including Mr Craig, to knock the NHS and conveniently ignore the many good things the NHS does for so many people, day in, day out.

It seems as if Mr Craig was advocating that the American healthcare system is better, drawing on conversations he’s had with friends and family in the USA.

I spent six weeks living and working in North Carolina last summer and, yes, many people there had heard horror stories of the ‘socialistic NHS’, including how people waited years for operations.

It soon became obvious that they had been peddled propaganda by the wealthy vested interests of the health insurers.

The reality for many people who can afford health insurance there, is a constant set of arguments with their insurance companies over bills.

If you’ve ever had an argument with an insurance company here over a claim, say, for a car accident or damage at home, you’ll know what that is like.

Apparently it is nothing compared to dealing with health insurers in the USA.

One abiding memory I have was visiting a health clinic in Mooresville, North Carolina set up as a charity to provide GP-type cover for those unable to afford health insurance.

The lead doctor there said to me: “You need to be proud of your NHS. Don’t ever let it go.”

Of course, in many respects American health care is better than ours. But that is because more money is invested.

According to figures released by the Office of National Statistics, America spent 17.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product on healthcare in 2011.

Meanwhile, we spend the lowest amount of any G7 country (along with Italy) at 9.2 per cent.

So, yes, Mr Craig let’s cut unnecessary NHS management and redirect the money saved towards healthcare.

But let’s also have a serious discussion about the need to increase the amount of GDP spent on healthcare.

Rev David P Gray, Newton Abbot Close, Chippenham.