Campaigners covered in bandages held a mock `die-in' on the steps of the Manchester Royal Infirmary this afternoon to highlight the plight of the NHS. First, they `died' at the front of the hospital on Oxford Road before marching into the hospital grounds and staging a further `die-in' at the entrance to the MRI itself.
The event drew campaigners from a wide variety of groups, ranging from Keep Our NHS Public to the Communist Party and the Green Party, and included activists from Salford.
Evan, Chair of Greater Manchester Unite Community branch, regaled a message of support from Unite reps at the MRI expressing "gratitude for people doing these kind of events"; while Penny Hicks, of Manchester People's Assembly, said that "Dismantling the NHS is an absolute disgrace...
"Many would say it's been dismantled already but it hasn't, it's still here and we're here to save it" she added "This is a valuable asset that we have and we are determined to hold onto it."
Penny explained some of the pressures facing NHS workers in hospitals... "It seems not to matter how many hours staff put in, they are back the next day facing the same dilemmas" she said "Working until 2am or 3am is not classed as a night shift, so you can work as many as those as they make you. Work directives are just not working for NHS staff..."
Will Patterson, the Green Party Greater Manchester Mayor candidate, added his backing for the campaign... "NHS staff work hard for us and today it's our time to be there for them" he said "That's why we need to keep doing things like this to keep up the pressure, because they need our support just as much as they've been there to offer their support when we've needed it.
"What Devo Manc is going to mean for health is quite simply the franchising of our NHS and that is not acceptable" he added "We need to say `No privatisation here in Greater Manchester or anywhere else'".
Mark, who works with the elderly and people with mental health issues for the NHS, told of an obscene practice which is leading to a north-south divide in social care...
"I spend a lot of my time in nursing homes and what I'm seeing is the closure of a lot of these privatised homes because they cannot make them pay" he said "Social care was privatised a long time ago, so now it's all for money and these homes are closing down and moving south. The reason for that is that there's more equity in people's houses down south. We have to say that this is unacceptable.
"One of the suggestions for how to solve this is increased council tax" he added "But where houses are not worth as much they're not going to raise as much council tax. It's not a solution. We need to nationalise, roll back austerity and stop paying for the mistakes of the greedy bankers. We need to start nationalising social care and stop privatising the NHS."
This is one of the demands of what will be a huge #OurNHS demonstration in London on March 4th - `No cuts, no closures, no privatisation'. Today's action was also to highlight this protest, which is being backed by a wide range of organisations under the banner of Health Campaigns Together and The People's Assembly.
Leaflets promoting the demonstration were handed out to patients and visitors at the MRI this afternoon with an extremely positive response. One of the banners pinned to the walls of the MRI during the die-in, quoted Nye Bevan, founder of the NHS, who said "The NHS will last as long as there are folk with the faith to fight for it..."
For further details of the London March 4th demonstration see the websites www.healthcampaignstogether.com or www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk
On Monday the Salford Star will be carrying an article about health service cuts and their affects in Salford - click here
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