|
|
 |
| |
| Dobbo joins in Free cash row |
FORMER health secretary and current Holborn and St Pancras MP
Frank Dobson has waded into the row over the Royal Free hospital’s
budget cuts.
The Free – losing £100,000 a week and currently £10.2m
in debt – has been forced to cut 100 beds from the Hampstead
hospital and make cuts to many of their front line services.
Mr Dobson, (below) who was health secretary between 1997 and 1999,
said the hospital was a victim of it’s own success – and
called on the government to re-think spending priorities to ensure
services like hospitals did not suffer from cuts.
He said: “The introduction of market systems where hospitals
have to compete is partly responsible for this.
“Whatever short comings there may have been in management at
the Royal Free they have done their best to treat everyone who needed
them. But under the market system this is now frowned on. This is
called ‘over treating’ it used to be called treating patients
to make them feel better.”
And he questioned the government spending plans to introduce a £6bn
identity card system when hospitals like the Free were cutting services
because of a lack of cash.
Her added: “When a renowned service like the Free suffers,
you have to think about what our priorities are.” |
|
|
