Party leaders clash over NHS choice
Tony Blair and Michael Howard have clashed in the Commons over patient choice within the NHS.
Mr Blair told the Opposition Leader that: “If you want the debate to be between now and election day, who cares for Britain’s National Health Service… come on and have it.”
In a robust exchange at Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Blair attacked the Conservative proposals for NHS reform, saying: “We want the National Health Service better, he wants to wreck it.”
Mr Howard, following up on Tuesday’s launch of the Conservatives “choice based” proposals for public services, said that a future Tory government would allow patients to choose to be treated at any hospital in the country free of charge.
“In every other walk of life, choice drives up standards”, he advised.
He claimed that rather than offering choice, Labour polices have “forced 300,000 people into the private sector, three times as many as when his government came to office.”
The Prime Minister hit back saying “without investment in the health service, choice is entirely meaningless”.
He attacked the Tory’s policies on the health service, on the basis that they would provide private health care for the few who can afford it.
Labour he said introduced an element of choice into the NHS for the first time and that “as capacity expands so we are able to say to patients.you can chose to go to where there is capacity within the National Health Service.”
