NHS defended by Stephen Hawking and Gordon Brown

Stephen Hawking has defended the efforts and viability of the NHS and has been joined in his praise by prime minister Gordon Brown, it has emerged.

Currently visiting the US, where he received America’s highest civilian honour – the presidential medal of freedom – Mr Hawking responded to recent claims by the US right wing establishment that the health service is outdated and ineffective.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived,” the physicist stated.

Following his comments, Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah delivered messages via micro blogging site Twitter conveying their support for the healthcare organisation.

The NHS is the world’s largest publically-funded health service and was founded 60 years ago. It currently employs over 1.5m people, including 90,000 hospital doctors, 35,000 GPs and 400,000 nurses.