Campaigners march as the NHS turns 72
HEALTH service campaigners met in Newcastle to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the NHS.
Socially distanced NHS campaigners gathered at the Millennium Bridge yesterday, before marching to Grey’s Monument and then to the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
In the city centre members of the Keep Our NHS Public North East (KONPNE) and the People’s Assembly held banners two metres in length, at prominent locations.
They are thanking NHS and care workers, demanding that the Government remove the NHS from the current trade talks with the Trump administration, asking for realistic funding of the NHS and to stop migrant charges and the ‘hostile’ environment within the NHS.
KONPNE steering group campaigner and retired mental health nurse John Whalley said: “It’s great being here in the town today, there’s a massive amount of support from the people here in Newcastle.
“We’re celebrating 72 years of the NHS – a massive achievement – and we thank all the staff working in the NHS in the North East for going the extra mile, especially over the last four months, when many have risked their lives in caring for us.”
Mr Whalley, 61, of Wideopen,north Tyneside, says the campaigners believe the amount of deaths due to coronavirus is more like 65,000 rather than the 45,000 official figure from the Government.
He added: “There is also a huge sadness as we remember the 65,000 lives lost in the UK to the coronavirus pandemic. There is absolutely no doubt that our NHS is being systematically run down and privatised. The people here in Newcastle city centre clearly love the NHS – we all need to write to our MPS to get assurance that it will be protected from being sold off in the trade bill currently going through Parliament.”
Dr Helen Groom said: “The things that have worked during the Covid-19 pandemic have been the ones organised by the NHS – our hospitals haven’t closed, and we have, so far, had enough ITU beds. The things that haven’t, PPE procurement, testing, contact tracing and, most tragically, our care homes, are all contracted out to private companies.
“We call on the Government to save the NHS from current trade bill and privatisation discussions, fund the NHS to 11% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), bringing us to average and not below average as we are currently, and to stop migrant charging.”
Jude Letham, co-ordinator of Keep Our NHS Public North East, said: “Big multinational private companies such as SODEXA, Capita, PWC and Deloitte and have been given £1.7bn pounds worth of contracts in the last three months. Serco got £49m for call centres, PESTFIX £109m for supply and delivery of PPE.
“Keep our NHS Public say give this public tax payer’s money to the NHS.”
Tony Dowling, of the People’s Assembly, said; “Mental health and care services have been devastated by cuts in funding and contracting out to private companies where share holders count, not patients.
“It’s essential that the NHS is saved from the current trade talks.”