Physician’s personal emergency highlights safety concerns in universal health care systems

Nisha Narayanan, a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics who splits her practice between New York City and Edinburgh, reflects on how moving abroad reshaped her views on health care.

Three weeks after relocating to Scotland, her infant daughter suffered a prolonged febrile seizure and was taken to a local emergency department. While doctors prepared to give phenytoin, Narayanan warned of the drug’s potential to cause severe tissue damage if it leaks from an IV line, a risk especially high in infants during seizures.

The episode reinforced her belief that universal health care must go beyond providing access; it also requires robust safety measures and accountability to protect patients from preventable harms.