The pro-privatisation vultures are circling above our country's hospitals. The NHS is 'bankrupt' they say- so it needs radical reform i.e. privatisation.
I've written before about one of the pro-privatisation pressure groups 'Reform', and its director, Andrew Haldenby has a vicious piece of anti-NHS propaganda in today's Daily Telegraph.
Haldenby calls for more NHS patients to be treated privately. Apparently he has heard of "new companies that treat NHS patients twice as well as the rest of the service (measured by complication rates after operations) at 20 per cent lower cost. "
What Haldenby doesn't mention in his propaganda piece is the way private health companies have ripped off the NHS- and the British taxpayer- for £1bn for operations and treatments they have failed to carry out. More details at the Campaign For Public Ownership website.
So if we are serious in improving the financial health of the NHS, then the first step should be to abolish 'Independent Sector Treatment Centres' and end all NHS contact with profiteering private health companies.
1 comment:
There's reason to suspect some corruption with regard to the implementation of ITCs. On the minister responsible, wikipedia notes...
"Following his resignation as Secretary of State for Health (to spend more time with his family), Alan Milburn took a post for £30,000 a year as an adviser to Bridgepoint Capital, a venture capital firm heavily involved in financing private health care firms moving into the NHS, including Alliance Medical, Match Group, Medica and Robina Care group."
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