Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Public Health News

British Medical Association Launches "Look After Our NHS"

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 04 Jun 2009 - 0:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article


Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

The BMA is stepping up its activity to publicise its concerns about government reforms that have created a market in healthcare and allowed commercially run firms to provide NHS care.

"Look After Our NHS" is being launched to gather examples of the impact and cost of market-driven reforms, show where public money is being wasted, and the adverse effects this has had on patient care and doctors' working lives.

The BMA has long argued that government policy to reform the NHS in England by introducing a market-based system of healthcare will have a negative impact on local health economies and services for patients. Using private money to fund new hospital buildings has resulted in crippling debts for NHS Trusts. Introducing competition between NHS providers, including hospitals and GP surgeries, and arranging costly deals with private companies to run independent sector treatment centres, is having an adverse effect on many existing services.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, the BMA's Chairman of Council said: "A market economy is based on winners and losers. We're not prepared to allow parts of the NHS to fail.

"We want to get rid of the market in healthcare and allow our hospitals and GP surgeries to work together, not be forced to compete against each other for business. Worse still it leads to unnecessary duplication, encourages gaming and there is no good evidence that it drives up quality."

The BMA is calling on doctors to sign up to a set of key principles that argue for an NHS which is publicly funded, publicly provided, and publicly accountable. It should use public money for quality healthcare, not profits for shareholders, and put the care of patients before financial targets. Doctors' training also needs protection since there is little incentive for commercial providers to deliver training to junior doctors.

A series of activities is being planned to encourage doctors to speak out about local concerns and to give their views on how the market is affecting patient care in their area. A branded, interactive website, newsletter, campaign pack and publicity at BMA conferences are just some of the activities that will commence in June 2009.

Source
British Medical Association




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
H1N1 Swine Flu Map Of Confirmed Outbreaks To-Date
09 Jun 2009
Featured below is an interactive Google map pinpointing outbreaks of H1N1 swine flu in 2009, together with source attributions, report dates, and current known statuses. This map is updated throughout the day with the...


Are Their Risks with Indoor Tanning? image Are Their Risks with Indoor Tanning?

There are risks in tanning whether you are doing it outdoors or at a salon...

Leg Cramps Can Be Helped With Exercise image Leg Cramps Can Be Helped With Exercise

Simple exercises can help ease the pain from chronic leg cramps...

View more videos...