Donald Trump says NHS is '˜going broke' and '˜not working'

US president Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to criticise the National Health Service, sparking a fierce reaction on social media.

US President Donald Trump has waded into the debate about the future of the NHS. Picture: AFP/Win McNamee

President Trump tweeted: “The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their [universal] system is going broke and not working.

“Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!”

The president’s comment came after thousands of people gathered for a demonstration in London, ending at Downing Street on Saturday, to protest at what they said was the “crisis” facing the NHS.

Thousands of Twitter users have responded to President Trump’s message, including Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Hunt said: “I may disagree with claims made on [the march in London] but not one of them wants to live in a system where 28 million people have no cover.

“NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage - where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “People were marching because we love our NHS and hate what the Tories are doing to it. Healthcare is a human right.”

@SanityJ68 said: “People of America...[Trump] is lying to you about the National Health Service in the UK. He does not know what he is talking about. Universal heath care has worked in Britain for over 70 years, and is only in trouble now due to years of cuts by the Conservative government.”

@AkrosBooks said: “Facts. ‘Protest marches about NHS funding are indeed common in the UK, but their demands are almost exclusively that the government increase funding for universal healthcare rather than try a different system’.”

But some have expressed support for the president’s tweet.

@JTMann05 said: “As someone who is temporarily living from America in the UK, single payer healthcare would be the end of America as we know it.

“The amount of rationing that goes on here is insane. People have to wait sometimes months for a doctor appointment.”