Fears over catching MRSA are leading people to take out private medical insurance, according to healthcare provider BUPA as it launched a new ad campaign highlighting private hospital hygiene.
Hygiene fears fuel private health take-up
The posters, which ran on billboards nationwide throughout October, are the latest in the successful “Feel Better BUPA” campaign. They show the words “clean”, “expert”, “choice” and “quick” on four posters which focus on the aspects people value most about private healthcare including cleanlinss, choice and quality.
Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald, BUPA Insurance medical director, said: “We have noticed that more and more of our customers are giving MRSA as a reason for calling to enquire about buying private medical insurance because they know the MRSA rate in private hospitals is much lower than in the NHS.”
The risks of contracting MRSA in private hospitals is negligible. One of the reasons is that most patients stay in private rooms which reduces the risk of infection spreading. Patients are usually admitted for planned procedures, rather than in an emergency, which means they can be assessed before they are admitted.
