NHS Patients are benefiting from world-class healthcare without having to worry about crippling costs, a leading Leicester doctor has said.

Dr Sanjiv Nichani, a children's specialist, spoke out as Britain and the US became embroiled in a war or words about the quality of their respective health systems.

Critics in America have attacked the NHS, saying it was bureaucratic and a drain on the state.

UK supporters have praised it for being free and open to all.

The argument was sparked by Barack Obama's plans for reforming the American system.

Opponents of US reform – including insurers and conservative politicians – warned of higher taxes under a more "socialised" system like Britain's.

East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer helped stir the debate yesterday when he said: "Now we all love the NHS, but I think we all know in our hearts that it is no longer the envy of the world.

"If the Americans came to me and said 'would you recommend us taking up a system just like the British NHS?' I think I would have to say 'no'."

However, health experts in Leicestershire said Britain's system could not be beaten.

Dr Nichani, a consultant in children's intensive care at Leicester Royal Infirmary, said: "The NHS is by far and away the best."

According to the World Health Organisation, UK survival rates from heart attacks are higher than in the US.

Although more money is spent on healthcare in the States, people live on average two years longer in Britain.

People living in Leicestershire can also walk into their GP surgery or be admitted to hospital without worrying about cost.

On top of that, people suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart attacks get excellent care.

Some 12,000 women in Leicestershire each year have babies without thinking of the cost. If a baby suffered a serious heart condition and needed open-heart surgery, they would be immediately transferred to Glenfield Hospital.

With an intensive care bed costing upwards of £2,000 a day the health bill quickly reaches £10,000 – met by the state.

It is estimated 50 million mums in American do not have any health insurance.

Statistically, one of few positives about the American system is that cancer recovery rates are better.

Dr Nichani spent three years working in America, where medical insurance cost about $300 a month.

He said: "A friend recently had a heart attack in America and had to be airlifted to hospital. The flight alone cost $15,000."

Dr Kamlesh Khunti, a Leicester GP and expert in diabetes at the University of Leicester, said: "We are the envy of the developed world.

"There is access at any time and it is completely free.

"The quality of diabetes care is equal to, if not better than, any insurance provider's.

"There may be some rationing with costly new drugs but there are huge numbers of people in America who don't have medical insurance to pay for care and the more deprived are even less likely to have insurance."

Rob Banner, founder of Leicestershire charity Prostaid, said an American system, which relies more on specialists than a GP-based service, could lead to the quicker detection of diseases such as prostate cancer.

David Gorrod, chairman of Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "The NHS treats patients without fear or favour and it does not depend on the thickness of a person's wallet."

Sarah Woolnough, head of policy at Cancer Research UK, said comparison was difficult as cancer treatment in America was "largely available only to those who can afford it".