To celebrate the 72nd birthday of the NHS, and to protest against cuts, closures and privatisation, Health Campaigns Together and Keep Our NHS Public are organising a weekend of action with socially distanced protests and an online rally. Find out more at:
Confirmed protests:
Manchester ,- Saturday 4th July, 12pm, opposite Manchester Royal Infirmary on Oxford Road (entrance to Whitworth Park halls of residence)
Salford ,- Saturday 4th July, 12pm, outside Salford Royal Infirmary
Leicester ,-, ,Saturday 4th July, 12pm, Jubilee Square
Huddersfield ,- Sunday 5th July 12pm, outside Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
York ,- Sunday 5th July, 2pm, Bootham Park Hospital Field
Why protest?
Despite joining the ‘clap for carers’ on Thursdays, Boris Johnson and his government are secretly planning to ramp up cuts, closures and privatisation in the NHS. Leaked letters show recommendations for mergers, ‘virtual’ appointments and increasing reliance on the private sector to deliver care. They are also discussing a two-year public sector pay freeze.
We can have no trust in the Tories to protect our NHS! One of the reasons that health workers have struggled to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak has been decades of attacks on the NHS, including hospital closures, mergers and staff shortages. Privatisation has been accelerated in the last 10 years, meaning that profit is put before health, and this has continued during the pandemic with contracts for PPE and testing being given to inefficient private companies like Deloitte (an accountancy firm!) at huge cost to the NHS.
The Tories – who preside over one of the highest Covid death counts in Europe – don’t care about the elderly, the poor and our essential workers. For them, it is more important to make sure businesses can profit from health and social care.
This is why Socialist Alternative is supporting the protests on the 72nd Anniversary of the NHS on 4th-5th July. Join us in fighting for a NHS that we need and deserve!
We need a movement of trade unions and NHS campaigns to demand:
· Proper public funding for our NHS now
· Kick out the profiteering private companies and end the scandal of Private Finance Initiative
· Bring Social care back into the public sector
· A decent and immediate pay rise for ALL NHS and social care staff
· End the discriminatory and unfair migrant charges now
· End all hospital cuts and closures
· For a socialist health and social care system – run democratically by the workers, patients and trade unions. The Covid crisis has shown that it is the workers and not the bosses who keep the country running – it should be us who make the decisions!
