The Who frontman calls on NHS to cut executive salaries amid ongoing healthcare crisis

The frontman of the iconic rock band The Who, Roger Daltrey, has spoken out about the ongoing healthcare crisis in a recent interview. He blames his own generation for putting strain on the National Health Service (NHS) and reducing the quality of care for younger generations.

Daltrey, who famously sang the line ‘I hope I die before I get old’, expressed his frustration at the current state of the NHS. He recounted the story of a young cancer patient who had to resort to a private scan to be diagnosed with stage four Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of blood cancer.

The singer exclaimed, ‘For fuck’s sake… Let’s just die! Get me and my lot out of the way. It’s crazy.’ He also shared his personal experience of losing his sister to breast cancer at a young age, which further fuels his desire to prioritize the treatment of young people.

Additionally, Daltrey criticized the high salaries of NHS executives and suggested that they be reduced in order to allocate more resources for nurses and improve hospital wards. He questioned why executives need to be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.

‘I’ll tell you how to pay the nurses more: cut down on executive pay,’ he stated. ‘That’s my opinion. They [the political parties] make the NHS this political football in elections. They’re using us and it needs to stop.’

Daltrey clarified that he is currently in good health but would consider assisted dying if he became a ‘burden’. He emphasized the importance of being realistic about mortality and expressed his readiness to let go, saying, ‘You’ve got to be realistic. You can’t live your life forever. Like I said, people my age, we’re in the way. There are no guitar strings to be changed on this old instrument.’

The renowned musician’s remarks come at a time when he will be stepping down from his role in the benefit shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust. These shows, which have been held at the Royal Albert Hall since 2000, have raised over £32 million to support cancer patients. Daltrey will perform for the last time at this year’s event, alongside other artists such as Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney, and Noel Gallagher.

Daltrey’s concerns about the NHS crisis resonate with many who believe that the healthcare system is in dire need of improvement. Late diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and bureaucratic flaws within the NHS have resulted in numerous tragedies. The musician highlighted the inefficiencies and the lack of political will to address these issues.

While Daltrey acknowledges the challenges in fixing the broken system, he calls for a reduction in executive pay and proper support for nurses and young patients. As he concludes, ‘We are lied to about other systems around the world, which function far better than ours.’