The system of accountancy in the NHS is now specifically designed to destabilise the system to open the door for privatisation.The actual cost of minor ops is negligible if carried out at hospital level as they form part of surgical training and the only additional cost is for consumables - local anaesthetic, dressings etc. However they are costed on the basis of a proportion of the total running costs of the hospital so that any reduction in number from the previous year inevitably leads to a serious reduction in the money available. Private hospitals have costs calculated on the returns necessary to give a profit on the expenditure on buildings and support staff and charge patients accordingly.