Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Stop picking on the poor, leading doc tells Sunak
DOCTORS are demanding Tory axeman Rishi Sunak spares the poorest from “austerity 2.1”.
The new president of the British Medical Association warns that “perverse” public health cuts have hit poorer areas hardest in the last decade so many people are too sick to work in their 50s.
On Thursday the Government is set to outline £35billion in public spending cuts in the Autumn Statement.
Prof Martin Mckee is urging the Prime Minister to prioritise “left behind” areas where people become sick or disabled 20 years earlier than in wealthier towns and villages.
It comes after Mr Sunak was filmed in the summer boasting about funnelling Government cash away from “deprived urban areas” to better off Tory shires.
Speaking in his first media interview since taking over the trade union that represents all UK doctors, Prof Mckee insists that protecting the health of the UK workforce is vital for the economy. He told the Mirror: “There are large parts of the country where far too many people are simply unfit to work by the
FAIRNESS time they get into their 50s. That’s just unsustainable. A significant number have been unwell because they’ve been waiting for too long for hospital treatment.”
NHS budgets were hit with a record funding squeeze under
George Osborne’s original austerity policy after the Tories came to power in 2010. Public health funding fell before 2015 and between then and 2022/23 it was cut by a further 24% to £3.4billion.
This fund covers everything from addiction support to interventions that help the poorest and particularly children.
Health visitors have been cut meaning fewer checks to support mums with newborns and identify health problems early in the under-fives.
The BMA is demanding the Tories promise there will be no repeat of the cuts to the public health grant that resulted in Blackpool – ranked as the most deprived upper tier local authority in England – get one of the largest cuts at £42 per head.
Prof Mckee said: “There’s a real danger that in some parts of the country we get into a downward spiral.”
A Government spokesman said: “We remain committed to helping people
live healthier lives.”
There’s a real danger we get in a downward spiral PROF MARTIN MCKEE NEW BMA PRESIDENT