05.10.12
Public should pay more to support NHS – BMA
Raising taxes could help the NHS to provide care to an ageing population, who incur increased costs, the new leader of the BMA has suggested.
Dr Mark Porter said it was time to re-examine the assumption that the NHS could cope with its current level of funding. The target of £20bn efficiency savings and costs driven up by the needs of an ageing population are leading to cuts and restrictions in certain services.
In an interview with the BBC News website, he said: “If there is a demographic challenge, why is it that the NHS has to pick up that demographic challenge within its existing budget?
“Why can we not go to the people and say there is a demographic challenge, your NHS is performing well, we need to add to those resources to pick up this demographic challenge?
“I think it is time to re-examine that original assumption.”
Prof John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund think tank, agreed the efficiency target was “very ambitious” but said the NHS needed to work on maximising productivity with the money it has now.
And a Department of Health spokesperson said: “The NHS may need to make some difficult decisions, but overall patient care should not be affected.
“Rationing services on the basis of cost alone is wrong and compromises patient care. We have already written to the NHS to set out clearly that access to services should not be restricted on the basis of cost.”
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