It comes as NHS waiting lists have hit a record high as almost 7.8 million people are on hold for treatment.
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00:00 While some university students spend their time making memories and having fun, this
00:04 student has been worried about his health since his first year of university in Kent.
00:09 Almost 9,000 people were waiting more than 18 months for routine treatment at the end
00:14 of August and according to NHS England, waiting times have hit a record high since 2007.
00:20 The fear of a long wait has resulted in Ahmed avoiding making a visit to the doctors for
00:25 two years.
00:26 "Symptoms I've been experiencing, it's like, it's just like irritation in my stomach that
00:31 I've been experiencing a lot.
00:33 So my dad's got recently diagnosed, not recently, he's had ulcerative colitis since 2017 and
00:39 it's like foods that we eat can irritate the stomach and it's like, it affects me day to
00:45 day because I'm unaware of what's good for me and what's bad for me to eat so it's all
00:49 about, like it's literally all about dieting but having the correct advice is something
00:55 that I should get but obviously I've been avoiding it just because of the waiting times.
00:58 If you go to A&E you're waiting in there for a good four to five hours, you're literally
01:02 wasting your whole day just sitting there doing nothing and then calling the GP.
01:05 I tried asking them for an emergency appointment, they said my doctor's not available at this
01:09 time, like even though it's a priority and it should be considered as an emergency."
01:14 While the government blames the ongoing doctor strikes as playing a significant role in contributing
01:19 to the delays that patients are experiencing, doctors disagree.
01:22 "I have to say that it's a convenient excuse for them because if you actually look at it,
01:29 the waiting list started to build a decade ago and really the industrial action has had
01:34 a small effect but compared with the big rise prior to it, it's a very small factor.
01:40 The winter is a difficult time for the NHS so it's a bigger challenge to actually maintain
01:45 the waiting list and an even bigger challenge to actually reduce it during the winter.
01:49 And unless investment is put into the NHS, I think we're stuck with long waiting lists
01:53 for several years."
01:55 In response, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said "Cutting waiting
01:59 lists is one of the government's top priorities and 18-month waits have fallen by more than
02:04 90% since September 2021.
02:07 It says it's exceeded its target to deliver 10,000 virtual beds by winter and is investing
02:12 an extra £200m to support the NHS during winter."
02:16 But for now, doctors urge patients to continue to seek care if they are experiencing health
02:21 concerns.
02:22 Mohima Abedin for KMTV.