There is a major sticking point in the NHS which routinely divides opinion. For many people their only concern is that their healthcare remains free at the point of need. So why worry who delivers healthcare?
There is a very good piece on the website weownit which is quite brief but gives a good summary of why we need to campaign against privatisation in the NHS. Obviously privatisation has always existed in the NHS. Non-public bodies have always been involved in our healthcare service. Pharmacies, charities, drug manufacturers, care workers to name but a few. There is no need to say that every aspect of our healthcare must be delivered by a publicly owned National Health Service – but there is every reason to say that privatisation has gone too far.
Although hospital services such as cleaning and portering began to be outsourced some time ago in recent years privatisation of NHS services has been drastically increased as this Guardian article highlights. Another great source of information regarding NHS privatisation is the website for the Keep Our NHS Public campaign.
So what harm is resulting from the amount of DoH money that ends up in the hands of private companies? Here we have another great piece from the Guardian that is not for the faint-hearted reader who cares about our NHS.
To call simply for an end to privatisation, or for more money to be spent on healthcare or for any other single issue regarding the NHS is simply not enough. We need to focus our attention on putting right every aspect of policy that harms the health of our nation.
On March 4th a massive demonstration took place in London for our NHS. Estimates of attendance ranged from between 250,000 and 350,000 protestors. We don’t all need to be experts in health policy to fight for our NHS. But we need to come together and demand that our government protects the NHS. We know what is wrong, we see it and hear about it all the time. And we know what we as a nation need in terms of healthcare. If you can’t get your head around all the complex issues of health policy but feel that as the 5th richest nation in the world we should have access to better healthcare, then make your voice heard.
