BMA’s petition against blatant privatisation June 5, 2008
Posted by JennieB in Privatisation.trackback
On Wednesday 4th June, The Telegraph reported that private firms were to take over ‘failing’ NHS trusts.
The British Medical Association has sent a call out to campaigners and anti-privatisation activists to try and halt this. The NHS Support Federation say that,
“The BMA petition urges the Government to continue to support our existing NHS GP surgeries and to improve services to patients by further investment in GP surgeries. It also calls for a halt to plans to promote the use of commercial companies in general practice. The plans are UK wide and could allow health authorities to put general practice services out to tender resulting in them being taken over by transnational corporations like Virgin and United Health as is already rapidly happening in England.”
The petition, and more information, can be found on the BMA’s Support Your Surgery website.
As an Ex-pat English guy living in Canada since 1979, I have had constant media information about the US system of paying for health care. Any move in the UK such as you mention would seem to be a step in that American direction.
Don’t do it!
Any corporate involvement in public interests has the effect of showing up as cheaper on the books, but there are funds extracted into shareholders pockets, and these as well as the reduced incomes of all the workers is what saves the money.
The end result is a poorer country, with fewer people spending whatever money is in ‘circulation’.