Over 100 people joined a demonstration on Saturday28 Jan called by Keep Our NHS Public to protest at the NHS funding crisis. We were across the road from the site of the proposed new Leeds Children’s Hospital, one of those in the Tories 2019 manifesto and one of the new 48 hospitals promised by Boris Johnson when he was PM.
Kevin Pattison, Leeds Socialist Party
However the only funding so far received by the Trust was to demolish the old buildings and prepare the site. No work to build anything there has been started
Local MP Hilary Benn ‘s criticism of this Govt’s privatisation was treated with “What about Wes Streeting’s comments” and there were shouts in support of Corbyn.
KONP national co chair Dr John Puntis said 500 + per week are dying because of delays in A & E. Rhian Wheater from the RCN spoke movingly of the strain on nurses keeping the creaking NHS going.
We then marched to the BMA Junior Doctor’s protest, swelling the numbers to 150. A doctor spoke of the problems in NHS hospitals and said they’d never clear the 7.1 million waiting listed while doctors were underpaid and leaving the profession.
A BMA spokesperson described it as “the doctor’s Trade Union” , an indication of the closer links developing between doctors and the labour movement.