THE Tory-led coalition will now be able to close all of the hospitals on its hit list, and more as it wishes, to ‘save’ more money to carry on rescuing the banks and bankers. This is the situation after the Health Bill passed its final reading in the House of Commons by 288-241 with six Tories voting against.
A total of 297 MPs voted in favour of Clause 119, while 239 voted against it.
The action could begin in weeks according to Labour MPs after the House of Commons refused to prevent the bill to steamroller the NHS becoming law.
Under the new law hospitals or wards are to be closed with just 40 days’ notice purely for the government’s financial reasons, even if they provide exemplary care.
Clause 119 of the new Act gives special administrators the power to close neighbouring services to help deal with ‘failing’ NHS trusts, that have been crippled by the government’s cuts to the NHS.
The ruling class need for the Act emerged when a judge ruled that Health Secretary Hunt’s decision to close the A&E and maternity units at Lewisham Hospital, because of the financial crisis of neighbouring trusts, was illegal.
Hunt had decided that the emergency and maternity units at Lewisham Hospital, in south-east London, were to be closed, allegedly ‘to save’ part of a neighbouring trust, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich, that had been bankrupted by the NHS ‘reforms’.
All that is required for the job to be done is the signature of the Health Secretary who has had the powers of a dictator handed to him by the vote of the House of Commons.
‘The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it’ – This is what Aneurin Bevan told a meeting with NHS patients in 1948.
There is no doubt that this is the time for the people to fight for the NHS.
But it is not just a matter for the people, since the people are divided into classes, and within the working class its basic organisations, the trade unions, have enormous power.
There is no doubt that the people want to act to defend the NHS.
There is also no doubt that the TUC, and the trade union leaders have not as yet lifted a finger to defend a single hospital, ward, or A&E from closure.
They have taken the cowardly position of standing aside and saying that it is the job of the community to defend the NHS, not theirs!
For two years now the TUC has been considering the ‘practicalities’ of the calling of a general strike against the savage attacks that the Tory-led coalition has been making on the working class and its great gains, especially the NHS.
They have been displaying cowardice and fear of the Tory enemy on a colossal scale.
Now all this has to stop. The reality is that the Tories will use this new law to destroy the NHS.
The working class is absolutely determined to defend the NHS. It is a red line that the working class will not allow to be crossed, and will make a revolution to defend!
Trade union branches up and down the country must form councils of action in their area to halt all attempts to cut and close the NHS with occupations to take over the hospitals and all NHS facilities.
The TUC must be made to immediately recall its Congress.
This must decide to call a general strike to defend the NHS by bringing down the Tory-led coalition and bringing in a workers government.
Trade union leaders who try to hide behind a continuing consideration of the practicalities of calling a general strike must be sacked and replaced at once!
Health trade unions and all trade unions must stand up and be counted. Their maxim must be councils of action, occupations, and a general strike to go forward to a workers government and socialism!
