Britain's NHS public health service has been the country's pride since 1948, but is currently gripped by a "humanitarian crisis" due to "third world" conditions that are piling pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May.
The stark image of 22-month-old Jack Harwood, wearing only a nappy, stretched across two plastic chairs while waiting to see a doctor in Accident and Emergency dominated the front-page of the Daily Mirror on Friday, laying bare the depth of the winter crisis.
Despite showing some of the symptoms of meningitis, the toddler was only briefly seen by a nurse before having to wait nearly five hours in A&E to see a doctor.
Doctors and hospitals have said the National Health Service (NHS) is "approaching a tipping point", with every winter putting increasing stress on the free-at-point-of-use service, described as a "national religion" by former minister Nigel Lawson.
The service, the world's fifth largest employer with 1.5 million staff, is also political dynamite with the power to decide elections.
Brexit campaigners made it one of their main campaign themes, promising to channel it funds once earmarked for Brussels.
But a raft of stories of NHS failure have hit the newspapers over recent years as it struggles to cope with a growing and ageing population and austerity policies.
The slightest surge in demand, such as this year's flu epidemic, can be enough to plunge it into chaos with A&E waiting times surging.
Last week, 23 per cent of patients waited more than four hours to see a doctor while two patients died on stretchers in a corridor at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital this week, revealing a shortage of beds, ambulances and doctors.
Richard Kerr, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, said he had never seen such a serious situation in his 26-year career.
Red Cross CEO Mike Adamson even called it a "humanitarian crisis", a conclusion rejected by Conservative prime minister Theresa May, who called the comment "irresponsible and overblown".
"We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter" she said Friday.
But for many, the malaise is much deeper.
"This is not a 'winter' crisis. This is a blizzard in an eternal winter of the NHS," said Mark Holland, a doctor specialising in acute illnesses.
"We are asking the staff to offer a first-class service with numbers and beds worthy of the Third World.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
