Rye supporting NHS

They collected over 600 signatures from local residents pleased to have the chance to voice their support for the NHS and concerns about privatisation.

They were part of a day of action co-ordinated by the campaign group 38 Degrees, held across England with more than 10,000 people taking part. The petition will be sent to all candidates standing for election in the area.

The petition asks each MP candidate to commit to protecting the NHS from privatisation, to ensure it has the funding it needs to deliver high quality health care and to keep the NHS out of the TTIP trade deal between the EU and the USA, which could see American corporations owning parts of the NHS.

One of the campaigners, from Fairlight said, “I was heartened by the overwhelmingly positive response from the public. Many people had personal accounts to relate about how important the NHS had been and continued to be in their lives. So very different from the often negative information frequently given by the national media”.

David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees said:“The fact that so many people took to the streets on such a cold and dismal winter’s day, proves how much we all think about the NHS.

“The NHS is the best healthcare system in the world and it belongs to all of us. Too many politicians have ignored the doctors and nurses on the frontline. They’ve turned their backs on the principle of an NHS,owned by all of us,that works to save lives not make money. Candidates should take these petitions very seriously. If they want to represent local people in Parliament, that starts with listening to the issues they care about - like the NHS”.

The local petition to save the NHS is at:www.38degrees.org.uk/nhs.