South Belfast MLA and Health Spokesperson Fearghal McKinney has today expressed his concern over an international trade agreement which could underpin wholesale privatisation of our Health Service.
Mr McKinney said: “The new Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is to be signed between The European Union and the United States of America and may include a deal on health provision.
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Local hospitals could in future be delivering private health services in the TTIP agreement goes ahead.[/caption]
“Although previous trade agreements of this nature have been fruitful, I am concerned that the inclusion of health within the current agreement could open up our health service to wholesale privatisation.
“Trade agreements of this kind have often been very effective in areas like business as they encourage trade, but our publicly owned health service should have no place in such a deal.“
At present the US and the EU are moving towards and agreement as part of the biggest ever seen bilateral trade arrangement that could ultimately benefit both economic areas by the creation of many jobs and would prime millions into economies across the EU and US.
Currently the EU and the US are trading goods and services around €2 billion daily. A TTIP agreement could add further growth potential by removing trade barriers making the delivery of goods and services more competitive.
As an outcome of a TIPP agreement, there would be a spillover effect into the world economy creating demand for raw materials, components and services giving other countries a financial boost.
This will be a sensitive negotiation and the Commission has a legal obligation to consult the Council on all facets of the TIPP negotiations.
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Councillor Colin McGrath is concerned that the TIPP agreement may have serious implications for our health service.[/caption]
Mr Mc Kinney added: “If health was included in TTIP it would open the NHS to wholesale privatisation and more worryingly, would bestow rights upon private companies who buy in to sue if we want to get it back.
“The Prime Minister has a veto on this matter in these negotiations and he can and should use his veto to remove it from the agreement.
“The SDLP will robustly oppose the potential for major privatisation that this agreement may provide for.
“As Health Spokesperson I will be writing to the Prime Minister to express our opposition and Parliamentary colleagues will bring this issue to the floor in Westminster”.
Downpatrick Councillor Colin McGrath, SDLP health local health spokesperson also expressed his deep concern over the TTIP development and added that “this has major implications for the very future of our national health service. We will be keeping an eye on this issue very closely especially with our MP’s as it runs in Westminster.”
Many local health campaigners will now be wondering what lies over the horizon in terms of the shape of the health service in years to come if privatisation American-style is allowed to proceed on the back of an already faltering NHS system. And for some campaigners and politicians, this development may even beg the question, has the health system been strategically steered into these troubled waters as the tsunami of health privatisation may now be rolling towards the UK?
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