LET’S hope enough concerned people gather outside Withybush Hospital on Saturday January 4 to show the local Health Board and Health Ministers in Cardiff and London that Pembrokeshire is willing to fight any “downgrade” of their General Hospital to a possible mere appendage to Glangwili 30-odd miles away.

Though the people of Lewisham, London managed to stop the closure of their hospital, defeating Jeremy Hunt’s efforts in the High Court earlier this year, campaigner Dr Louise Irvine warns us that a new Clause 118 (“the hospital closure clause”) added to the Care Bill was voted for in the Commons on December 16th potentially giving the Government extra powers to close any hospital or their A&E or other Depts anywhere they wish, including totally viable ones.

A final Commons vote on the amended Bill is likely due in February or March Dr Irvine suggests.

It is also being suggested “the NHS is being chopped up and prepared for Transnational investors” (Linda Kaucher) and the approaching new EU-US Free Trade Agreement (full name Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP) currently being brokered between Brussels and Washington threatens “to hand over the keys of Europe”

(including the UK health and other remaining services and agriculture etc) wide open to “corporate sovereignty”, a power which could well potentially see £billions of UK public funds been paid out to compensate corporations aggrieved their profits are being adversely affected by national laws in place for public protection. (see S2B Network’s Report on the TTIP).

A raft of UK, US and other global “civil society” organisations eg War On Want are currently campaigning to protect national sovereignty and public safety from potentially coming under attack for increased private profits.

Including our NHS.

Aneurin Bevan 1948’s Health Minister along with others having fought tooth and nail for a more humane, public-serviced society warned that without enough faith and support our National Health (and other) SERVICES would fall prey to those same ideological venal forces he managed to beat post Second World War.

With a seeming political secrecy and deception increasingly apparent it’s thank goodness for the whistleblowers and vigilant campaigners in this world wherever they are.

Saturday January 4 at Withybush Hospital will be a chance to honour Nye Bevan and thank all those social pioneers, carers, doctors and staff in Pembrokeshire’s public health services over the decades we’ve all benefited from and wish to continue despite the diet of daily NHS doom and gloom we’re being fed.

We don’t want America’s corporate, market business version of ‘healthcare’ do we with about a third (is it?) of US citizens unable to afford it. Even some of them apparently having paid for health insurance. But not enough.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

Prospect Place

Pembroke Dock