Let’s have an end to secrecy with the NHS and money

Published: 4 March 2010

• THE Green Party supports the Defend Whittington Hospital campaign because we believe in local provision of public services.

We are also the only elected political party in Camden that supports the Keep the NHS Public campaign.
Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems have all championed the privatisation agenda (the neo-liberal economic agenda), which has many consequences; including this key one relating to PFIs.

Not only are the PFI projects (and Whittington Hospital has just had a big PFI project) more costly than normal public procurement, but the PFI repayments are fixed, so when there is pressure on finances, as there is now, other areas are affected more deeply by cuts because these payments can’t be cut.

If there are cuts in NHS spending, then PFI payments will become a higher proportion of NHS expenditure simply because they are fixed contracts.

The north central London NHS commissioning body is seeking to close a funding gap that is estimated to reach £560million per annum by 2016.

In January’s Camden Council health scrutiny committee, I said that the details of the financial pressure and other governmental obligations that the local NHS is under need to be made clear, so that there can understanding of the reality of the situation and a public debate about how these burdens can best be resolved.

We want transparency, not secret plans or decisions behind closed doors. Local NHS managers may deserve criticism if they conduct themselves in that way, but the main cause of the problem is political, relating to government policies and waste of our money in things like PFIs, Iraq war, Trident, swine-flu vaccines for every person in the country, ID cards, etc.

Albert Einstein said you can’t solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it.

There is scope for a massive reduction in NHS expenditure, and it will come from recognition that most of the (drug based) treatment protocols for chronic conditions are absurd and hugely wasteful in terms of money, patient suffering and early deaths (but very profitable for drug companies, which is why they are the way they are).

There are more effective natural/holistic healthcare treatment protocols for most medical conditions, which lead to healing rather than continued suffering and are also significantly cheaper.

A lot of people already understand this and pay for natural healthcare themselves, but many cannot afford to do so.
Cllr Adrian Oliver
Green Party, Highgate ward

Brilliant march

• SATURDAY’S Defend the Whittington march was one of the best marches I’ve been on.

The response from the public along the route was brilliant – so many drivers tooting their support for the campaign sometimes it was deafening!

The organisers did a brilliant job.

Shirley of the Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition deserves a medal for all her hard work.

Although there were thousands of people, and it was a voluntary event for stewards it felt safe, well-organised and there was great camaraderie among all the demonstrators.

So many people turned up with their children, friends, family, it’s obvious there is no local support for these crazy plans.

The passion of the crowd was inspiring.

Finally a thank you: I loved the bicycling punk covers band!

They were brilliant fun and kept our feet moving in good time all the way to the Whittington.
Hats off and thanks to Richard Osley and the New Journal for booking them, for all your work on the campaign and for your great campaign bus too!
Jo Shaw
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Campaigner
Holborn & St Pancras