At 8:00 a.m. this morning there was a Mayday protest at the Royal London hospital Whitechapel to oppose the private finance initiative, in other words privatisation of the health service. Around 100 people attended, mainly GPs working in Tower Hamlets, hospital staff, UNISON members, the Socialist Alliance and local Green Party members.

Local G.P. Kambiz Boomla spoke against the PFI initiative at both the Royal London and Barts hospital. His speech also attacked the Governments underfunding of the NHS and the woefully inadequate recruitment of G.P.s and nursing staff.

Anna Bragga, a Green Party representative, spoke of the beginning of a greater threat to the NHS, as next year the government will be signing to GATS, which is the General Agreement of Trade in Services which is policed by the WTO. It commits WTO members to increase trade in services. To pursue this policy would ultimately result in the eradication of publicly owned, publicly accountable services. We have to fight this
initiative or else this could be the end of accessible and affordable health care. The protest was peaceful and supported by the general public.