For all those who are thinking NO this is what you will get Privatisation of Health Services: some of the gory details Willie Wilson | 21/06/2014 | 0 Comments Dr Willie Wilson lectured in pharmacology at Glasgow University for 38 years, teaching medical, dental and science students and carrying out research in ocular pharmacology. He had a parallel career as a community pharmacist in Glasgow and is still owner/partner of Thistle Pharmacies in Glasgow Privatisation of our NHS can only be avoided with independence since NHS Scotland costs about 40% of our total block grant from Westminster. A NO vote may lead to abolition of the Barnett Formula, but even if it is retained, our NHS will lose funds in proportion to whatever is saved by privatising in England & Wales, together with Scotland’s share of the austerity cutbacks that are going to come from Westminster in the next few years. Chancellor Osborne has already promised cuts beyond 2015 that will exceed those we have already been subjected to and Miliband has promised to uphold these if Labour is returned to Westminster. NHS Scotland would thus be forced down the privatisation route. TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC privatisation of NHS Scotland will mean: 1.Privatisation will lead to a 2-tier health system and thus a serious erosion of what the NHS is meant to represent – and it’s already happening in England. 2.Rationing of treatments – also already happening in England. 3.Longer waiting times – privatisation has led to disjointed service provision, not a more efficient, better service. 4.In England each GP has about 20% more patients to look after than in Scotland. 5.Fees introduced for various things, like the “self-funding” that is already encouraged as a means of jumping queues; as doctors are paid less to provide more services they will try to recoup money in other places. 6.Privatising hospital cleaning coincided with soaring rates of the killer, hospital ‘super-bug’ infections; in-house cleaners were a major part of the strategy that has gradually reduced hospital infection rates. 7.Companies like Atos (French) and G4S (American) are already being paid £billions by Westminster to take over the running of parts of the NHS in England and Wales; under the Health & Social Care Acts, this process is continuing rapidly. About 70% of contracts are now going to the private sector. 8.We will be paying for company profits (healthcare AND insurance companies) and armies of accountants and bean-counters. This is not an efficient way of spending taxpayers’ money. This is reflected in the bottom line: in USA the healthcare system costs 18% of their GDP; in the UK we spend only about 9% of GDP.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 16:44:45 +0000
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