Responding to news that the Health Minister has sought British military assistance at hospitals across the North, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has questioned why the enormous resources in the hands of the for-profit private health care sector are not being put to use in the fight against Covid-19. Instead of embarking on this radical course of action, Carroll argues, the Minister is engaged in a calculated stunt designed to stoke divisions and deflect from the Executive’s disastrous handling of the pandemic.
Mr Carroll stated: “The Executive have clearly lost control over this pandemic: admission numbers show no sign of abating, workers are suffering from exhaustion, and our death toll is still rising. Failed policies at Stormont worsened this situation, and only radical action can begin to redress it.
“The only sensible course is to take urgent, radical action to put the huge resources at the disposal of the private health care sector under public ownership. This would open up new beds; relieve pressure on our staff; and make available urgently needed space and equipment. In the face of a worsening pandemic, anything less than this is an act of political cowardice.
“This kind of radical leadership is completely absent at Stormont. In its place, we have a proposal from the Health Minister clearly designed to deflect from the Executives’ collective mishandling of the Covid pandemic. Having utterly failed to control this virus, the Stormont Executive are trying to blame everyone but themselves and direct attention away from their own shambles. People should not fall for these contrived sectarian games.
“Robin Swann has sought to make this latest move look like an act of pragmatism, but the truth is far from that. This is a calculated move which will likely increase political tension. Swann like the rest of the UUP are Tories. They call upon the British army for assistance, before even considering the socialist policies that could actually benefit health workers in this crisis.
“Just consider how many more staff the NHS would have at its disposal if Robin Swann moved to take over private for-profit healthcare, where a large number of health professionals work, and direct the personnel and resources to the NHS.
“Additionally, people with a useful medical background or training should be encouraged and enabled to take a paid leave of absence, without threat of loss of employment, in order to volunteer with the NHS. Many other countries have already done this with success.
“We have been calling for these strategies for months yet Robin Swann hasn’t even attempted them, now preferring to court a military which is responsible for serious violence in communities across the North, and around the world. It is difficult not to see this as a clear attempt at politicking. Disgracefully, the DUP have launched attacks on trade unionists for raising concerns about these moves. The DUP are in no position to criticise any trade union. They have followed the Tories for months, ignored medical advice and presided over a disgracefully inadequate government pandemic response.
“I think many sensible people might be far more amenable to military personnel working in our hospitals were they given leave from the army to do it as civilians. But co-ordination by the British Army, or deployment of soldiers in an official capacity must be avoided as it would unnecessarily politicise our health service. The NHS must remain independent from a military institution with a history of violence and repression on this island.
“The Executive’s shambolic handling of the crisis is the root cause of all of this. We need to see the urgent implementation of a zero-Covid strategy as seen in countries like New Zealand. The Executive must break from the dangerous approach of ignoring medical advice, blaming the public for their failures, and politicking during this crisis.
“These are the sensible and practical socialist politics that People Before Profit are fighting for. We need radical action, not orange or green stunts. Our health workers deserve nothing less.”
ENDS