A message from your GP - R.I.P

I'm going to copy out a flyer that was at my doctor's surgery. I'm going to copy it out after reading in the Mirror on wednesday of an ex X factor contestant who died of bladder cancer. Someone very close to me had bladder cancer but because that person was very fortunate to have private insurance, that person was seen and dealt with very quickly and as a result is still alive.

Meanwhile, the flyer also mentions the rail service. The rail service! What might that have in common with the NHS?!
Rather alot currently with the High Speed rail plan that the posh don't want because it'll ruin the countryside and the poor don't want because they won't be able to afford it, after they've lost their homes in a bulldozing exercise that is.

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2086170/High-speed-rail-plans-fly-face-measures-cut-spending-elsewhere.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)
(http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/development/mp-urges-camden-to-fight-high-speed-rail-project/6519909.article)

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR GP

As GPs we are extremely concerned about the negative effects this re-organisation of the NHS would have on our patients.

The NHS currently includes the 'Providers' of care (hospitals and GPs) and the Administrators. Administrators monitor the quality of services. They also "commission" services from the 'Providers' that means they decide what sort of services the Hospitals and GPs should provide so that the whole population is best served within the limits of the NHS budget.
As a proportion of the UK budget the NHS costs about 8% - this is less that the average for most develped countries like France or Spain.

THE LATEST REORGANISATION.

The governments [sic] proposed changes would de-nationalise the NHS so that in the long run all hospitals would essentially become private and the only role of the NHS would be to buy services with a limited pot of money. This is similar to our national rail service which is expensive even though it gets huge government subsidy every year and still leaves many users dissatisfied.

(Then there is a picture of a tombstone with the engraving:)
NHS
R.I.P
1948 - 2011

We don't think the NHS is perfect, but we do think it is very good considering what it costs the taxpayer. Another large reorganisation is the last thing the NHS needs. The NHS was improving in many ways until recently and patient satisfaction has been improving.

Reorganisations cost a lot of money and lead to chaos fro some years. We think that this reorganisation would cost the taxpayer more for a worse service as profits would go to shareholders or large companies.

The End (ok, it doesn't say The End, that's just for you, so you know that it's back me writing)

The government had no mandate for the total destruction of the NHS service
There is no proper consultation on the billion pound highspeed rail service most people don't want but the government is going ahead with it anyway.

It's the new doctor's consortium which has written this flyer.
I think they are actually saying R.I.P to us, the patients.

I've known it for years and now you do too.

Do people have to wait to die because they can't afford to live?