In PULSE:
“…….Sixty years on, I believe that our NHS is being privatised – slowly and covertly, and through an array of different national streams including the purchaser-provider split, Payment by Results, personal health budgets (currently being piloted), the private finance initiative (PFI), the imposition of Darzi centres irrespective of need, independent sector treatment centres, relaxation on the rules of top-up payments and social care budgets.
PFI makes me particularly angry. It is a guaranteed loan to property investors, where high-rate mortgage payments are kept off-balance to reduce the country’s declared debt. In other words, it’s the Enron of the NHS. This is money the NHS has committed to leave frontline healthcare for the next 35 years.
I’m also worried that if personal health budgets are brought in. People with comorbidities might spend their entire budget, wealthy individuals would be able to top up their care with extra medical insurance and poorer individuals would get a second tier of service.
In effect, this would be rationing. But it would not be open rationing with public and professional engagement on what the NHS should be prepared to pay for, but covert rationing by politicians who are perhaps too worried about their seats to lead on this debate openly…….” Read all>>>
I remember another spring, 1968 Prague Spring.
Prague now©2010 Am Ang Zhang
Dr Helena McKeown is unlikely to become a baroness but she sure will be able in years to come to look her children in their eyes with pride and dignity: We were there, London Spring.
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BMA Speech
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