Entitlement to military healthcare--limitations of the NHS model.

The Defence Medical Services provide to a British population healthcare services that are funded from taxation and are free at the point of delivery. This paper reviews some principles for determining entitlement to healthcare for the population cared for by the Defence Medical Services. The starting point for entitlement uses the principles under which the National Health Service (NHS) was established. These are then extended to acknowledge the limitations of an NHS model when considering occupational health issues and geographical variations in healthcare provision.