A Tory MP has proposed a shocking bill which, if passed, will force ordinary peoples to pay for NHS services such as GP appointments and routine hospital procedures.
Proposed by Conservative MP Christopher Chope, The National Health Service (Co-Funding and CoPayment) Bill is listed to be discussed in Parliament today.
Though Mr Chope will have to gain government support, there is every chance that the debate in the House of Commons will be the spark that sets fire to what remains of our NHS.
“Those who can afford it get treated first”
As it stands, the NHS charges for prescription medicines, dental care and eye tests. However, if the bill is accepted then it would “make provision for co-funding and for the extension of co-payment for NHS services in England”.
The Shadow Health Minister, Justin Madders said:
At a time when the NHS is going through the biggest funding squeeze in its history and more than four million people are waiting for treatment, Tory MPs are proposing a two tier system where those who can afford it get treated first.
The Labour MP also took the opportunity to remind the public of Labour’s intentions with the NHS, which, it’s safe to say, seem a lot more positive than the Conservatives:
Labour’s first priority will be to give the NHS the funding it needs to protect an NHS free at the point of use for everyone who needs it.
It’s a sobering reminder of the even bigger divide that privatisation of the NHS will create between the rich and everybody else, but also it begs the question of what will happen to the country’s most vulnerable.
If the Tories are unwilling to ensure they can afford to eat, it seems unlikely they want to help them with their health care.
Abusing the system
Bizarrely, Mr Chope slept in the Houses of Parliament for three nights in order to ensure he was first in line to put down 47 parliamentary bills, including one that would privatise the BBC and Channel 4.
Critics have accused Mr Chope of purposely flooding Parliament with such a large number of bills so that other backbenchers will be stopped from having their proposals debated.
Faced with accusations of abusing the system, Mr Chope has said about his extreme proposals:
A lot of them are radical ideas which we think could be usefully debated and some of them I’d hope would be included in the next Conservative Party general election manifesto, for example.
A dangerous game
The downfall of the NHS is a predicted tragedy that many believe the Tories eagerly await, and are even working towards. It is widely suspected that the Conservative party would privatise our National Health Service if they could get away with it.
Even if Mr Chope’s huge number of bill proposals are an attempt to abuse the system, these bill proposals will be debated. It seems a dangerous game indeed; to dangle the bait of privatising the NHS to a sea of Conservative sharks, poised ready to rip it to shreds.
