Britain’s hapless and besieged Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has suggested doctors should prescribe smartphone apps to patients. While I can see the reason for this—even I use a number of apps to monitor my perilous wellbeing—I do wonder what Lansley is thinking of in making such a rash statement.
We all know what will happen next. Some litigious individual with more rights than responsibilities will complain that only the rich can take advantage of Lansley’s app wisdom. Therefore, the National Health Service must supply a free iPhone to everyone who wants one. It stands to reason, doesn’t it? And I am sure the complainant would be supported by the increasingly bonkers European human rights judges.
We can expect Lansley to backtrack on this rash suggestion, I imagine. If not, that’s another 40 million or so iPhones to add to Apple’s sales bonanza. I am torn between my status as a British taxpayer and an Apple stockholder.
