In all the many gut-wrenching aspects of the all-too-public case of Alfie Evans, one of the most sickening is exploitation of the tragedy by foreign politicians for their own selfish ideological ends. Exploitation, that is, made all the more objectionable for being based in a most profound ignorance about the medical and judicial systems of another country.

Understandably, the story of Alfie Evans, the severely ill toddler whose parents have been barred from taking him to Italy for final treatment, has touched many hearts around the world. The Italian government went so far as to make him an Italian citizen to facilitate the care his parents wish him to receive in a Rome hospital. That is a relatively benign sort of intervention, an expression of support, opening up options, while leaving decisions to the family, the doctors and the courts concerned.

Much less helpful, not to say impertinent, are Tweets from the likes of Mike Huckabee, former Republican governor of Arkansas, who says, quite simply, “government-run health care fails again”.

Oddly for someone with his political background, he chucks in a dollop of class envy too: “On the very day Brits celebrated the royal baby, the UK government removed life support system from 23-month-old Alfie Evans and stationed a line of police to keep his frantic parents from moving him to another hospital that would grant him care. A royal shame!”

What is really a royal shame is this vast well of ignorance that these know-nothings are swimming in. There are others, you see, no doubt representative of a deeply confused appreciation of reality. A Twitterer called “burnt Peacock” for example, who opines: “And no govt bureaucracy should be making medical care decisions best left between doctors and patients.” Or Steve Deace of the Steve Deace Show, who writes: “Want to know what the Death of the West looks like? Exactly no one in the UK healthcare system has practiced some form of civil disobedience today for #AlfieEvans. Rather, all are dutifully carrying out a ritualistic execution in broad daylight because the state says so.”

Someone needs to get these guys off their hyperventilators. Here are some actual facts that will help reduce their blood pressure and simultaneously improve cognitive performance.

Firstly, the National Health Service offers the British people superb health care financed from general taxation. It has its faults, but this form of social insurance means, for example, that a child such as Alfie Evans will receive treatment and round-the-clock care way beyond the means of his parents.

Bear in mind too that in the UK private insurance health schemes rarely offer full cover against long-term conditions such as Alzheimer’s or cancer, or if they do, it’s at great cost in unaffordable premiums. I do not know what would have happened to Alfie if he was in New York or Arkansas rather than London, but I do know he would not have the automatic assurance of first class treatment under the NHS.

Cost was not the issue in this case, nor did it come down to unthinking, uncaring state bureaucrats running some sort of Soviet-style system to take over people’s lives and kidnap their kids.

Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Show all 6 1 /6 Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves The elderly “We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population,” Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs Jeremy Hunt has called for a “honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments”, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4’s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called “very serious problems at some hospitals” by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunt’s plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Simon Stevens, head of NHS England Reports that “key members” of Ms May’s team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Previous health policy, not funding In an interview with Sky News’s Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been “ducked by government over the years”. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a “humanitarian crisis” and said health funding was at record levels. “We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need,” said the Prime Minister. “They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required… Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in.” But doctors accused Ms May of being “in denial” about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise – introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2000 – should only be for “those who actually need it”. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had “less stringent” rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis – except themselves No one Mr Hunt was accused of “hiding” from the public eye following news of the Red Cross’s comments and didn’t make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying “the public will want to know, Mr Hunt”. “Sorry Beth, I’ve answered questions about this already,” replied Mr Hunt. “But you didn’t answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didn’t want to water it down. Is that what you’re saying?” said Ms Rigby. “It’s very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then won’t answer the question, Mr Hunt”. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in. Getty

It’s like this. A child in Britain is protected by the law and the courts, and his or her interests are represented properly. When there are issues of life and death, then the courts listen and sift the complex medical evidence, the wishes of parents and, of course, the legal framework, including human rights entrenched in British law. Doctors are not allowed to just turn off life support, still less civil servants. It is a cynical misrepresentation of a case that has been through every court of the land, treated with utmost seriousness throughout.

If Alfie had been in a private hospital – of which there are quite a few in the UK operating perfectly freely – the courts would still have had a deciding role in the case.

The bottom line, to be frank, is that parents cannot treat their child like an item of personal property with untrammelled liberty, or else there would be no laws against child abuse or cruelty. The issue before the courts was the pain and welfare of Alfie, no more or less.

Thus, no parent can retain or dispose of a mortally ill child as they would a used car, and it is stupid to think human life is just another parental chattel. It isn’t, and nor should it be.

You can’t run a hospital like you would an election for governor of Arkansas or the White House; it is not a suitable place for populism.

As it happens, for what it’s worth (not much, I’d be the first to admit), if I’d been a judge in this case I would have allowed the parents the chance to take Alfie to Rome for a try at treatment, because it would be the only way they could achieve peace with themselves and their baby. I have no doubt that the courts and doctors were right to also weigh the prospective pain and suffering to be endured by the child, but I might have balanced things differently. But I also have no illusion that my views and judgements are superior to those reached.