Cut-price healthcare hurts

Published: 20 May, 2011

• AS a former hospital porter who attended the recent Keep Our NHS Public meeting, I’d like to stress that opposition to stealth privatisation of health services is not strictly a party political issue. 

All three main parties share some blame for the present situation, and Andrew Lansley’s plans are opposed by leading figures from all parties too – even including Tory GP and MP Sarah Wollaston and Lord Tebbit.  

The Tories are to blame for the MRSA deaths caused by privatisation of hospital cleaning contracts. 

Labour are to blame for the red tape caused by the “internal market”. 

Lib Dems are to blame for acquiescing to Mr Lansley’s White Paper (and their betrayal of pre-election promises casts serious doubt on the integrity of the Coalition’s current “listening” exercise). 

The Independent of April 3 said: “the Tory manifesto spoke of giving GPs the power to commission care, rather than requiring them to do so”, so the Liberal Democrats aren’t the only party who betrayed pre-election promises. 

GPs will not be “invited” to fund “any willing provider,” however. Under European competition law GPs will be forced to fund bargain-basement providers and forced to offer patients the cheapest (poorest quality) healthcare products. 

So the emphasis should now be on what people of all beliefs (or none) can do to protect healthcare entitlements that we have already paid for. 

JOE BANKS, WC1