The Assembly Executive’s decision to fund two £40 million health centres in Newry and Lisburn will “put millions of pounds of public money in the pockets of big businesses at the expense of essential health services” an anti-cuts group has claimed.
According to Pat Lawlor of the Stop the Cuts Campaign “Even Health Minister Edwin Poots has acknowledged that he has no idea how much public money he will pay to private developers – money that should be kept within the NHS and more efficiently used to provide essential healthcare, create jobs and services.”
“Financed through a mechanism known as third party development (3PD), private sector companies will be allowed to build facilities, leasing the buildings back to the health service at extortionate rates.”
“Privatisation has been roundly discredited as a means to provide essential health services. The only people who benefit are shareholders, big business and profiteers.
Picket of Health and Social Care Board
“Health workers, trade unions and local communities are completely opposed to the privatisation of our health service. In response to the Assembly’s health cuts and creeping privatisation, the Stop the Cuts Campaign with supported from NIPSA have organised a protest on the 24th April outside the Health and Social Care Board in Linen Hall St at 1pm. All people opposed to the Assembly’s health cuts should come along and make their voices heard.”
