National Health Action, the political party set up by doctors to ‘stop the destruction of the NHS’, has opened its door to members.
The party, who will be officially launching next month, are calling for the repeal of the Health and Social Care Act and will be putting up 50 candidates in carefully selected general election seats as well as standing in local elections.
Dr Louise Irvine, a GP in Lewisham and executive committee member of the NHA said she believed a substantial number of GPs would join.
She said: ‘We hope we would have GPs standing in elections because they are widely respected in their communities and are seen people that can be trusted on the NHS.’
She said the party would be mainly focusing on coalition MP constituencies but would not stand against anyone from any party who agreed to repeal the health act.
She added: ‘We know that the majority of GPs were against the Health and Social Care Act and are now experiencing the harmful effects with the requirement to make them rationers of NHS care.
‘GPs are feeling alarmed and worried for the NHS and this is an opportunity for them to join with like-minded people and do something about it instead of just feeling sad and angry.’
The primary goal of the NHA is to halt the ‘commercialisation and increasing privatisation’ threatening ‘the very survival of our much-loved health service’.
It was co-founded by Dr Richard Taylor, the hospital consultant who was independent MP for Wyre Forest for nine years after campaigning against the closure of A&E services at Kidderminster Hospital.
Cancer specialist and NHA co-leader Dr Clive Peedell said: ‘Putting the values of business and the markets ahead of those of patients and communities will ruin the NHS.
‘This destruction is being fast-tracked by Tory and coalition policies. We hope our new party will halt this process.’
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