The title of a recent article in the British Medical Journal should perhaps create some cause for concern. The title was, “How the Secretary of State for Health proposes to abolish the NHS in England”. There are those who shout, “scaremongering” but to any open minded individual it soon becomes obvious that it is an accurate assessment of the proposed changes to the NHS in England.
The article states that the proposed Bill will fundamentally change the basic premise of the NHS, pointing out that the duty of the Secretary of State to provide comprehensive health care will be abolished. The government will hand over its responsibility for health care of UK citizens to commercial consortia whose primary function and driving force will be economic, seeking profit, not health and well being of the people. As commercial concerns these organisations will be governed by trade laws which mandates free competition. As commercial enterprises they are obligated by law to seek the best possible profit for the shareholders. How will that square with long term expensive care, or a quick fix as opposed to a long term cure?
NEW TEST FOR ASSESSING TREATMENT!!
The “pause” that the Cameron/Clegg public school thugs have proposed is just that, a “pause”, not a change. I suppose the millionaire duo and their team will hope that the “pause” will let the opposition die down and then they can remove the “pause” and carry on as before.
Calling for changes to this “privatisation” Bill is not what should be sought, it must be scrapped or we accept a national private health system, a money making paradise for the corporate greed machine, and for those who can't afford it, a second rate health system.
