InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

Health Story

 14 May 2008 01:15 BST

NHS march draws thousands

Saturday, 03 Nov 2007 20:05
Thousands of health workers march in London in protest over NHS reforms

Health In Focus 

More than 7,000 health workers have taken to the streets of central London to protest at the government's treatment of the NHS.

Doctors, midwives, nurses, cleaners and technicians were among the thousands who marched through the capital as part of the I Love the NHS campaign, which concluded in Trafalgar Square.

The protestors were demonstrating against reforms that they claim have lowered morale and increased workloads.

Marchers also demanded that increased rates of privatisation in the health service be scaled down.

Prior to today's protests, Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Brendan Barber urged the government to place its faith in the "founding principles" of the NHS.

"Staff working in the health service are proud of the jobs they do and are totally committed to improving patient care and the services in the hospitals in which they work," he said.

"But recent recruitment freezes and redundancies are leaving health employees with bigger workloads and unpaid overtime is increasingly becoming the norm."

Addressing demonstrators today, TUC president David Prentice said that health workers would not allow the NHS to be "sold off to private companies on the altar of profit".

And in a video message, mayor of London Ken Livingstone revealed that he regarded the NHS as the "single most important social advance of my lifetime".End of story

More health news... 

Also In The News 

© 2008 Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use