Reid brands Tories’ patient passport scheme ‘illegal’
Health Secretary John Reid has branded the Conservatives’ policy on private health within the NHS “illegal” and “unfair”.
Dr Reid yesterday called on Michael Howard to stop hiding behind “human shields”, after the Conservative leader profiled the cases of Warrington pensioner Margaret Dixon and her injured shoulder, the operation on which was cancelled seven times, and Maria Hutchings, who challenged Tony Blair to keep special schools open.
Demanding parties focus on the “substance” of health policy, he threw down the gauntlet to Mr Howard to explain how his party would subsidise patients prepared to pay half of their monies for operations in the private sector.
Dr Reid called on Mr Howard to have the “guts” to come out into the open and debate his policy.
He insisted the policy was “fundamentally at odds with the value of the NHS that provides equal access for all, based on need not ability to pay”.
Labour says the Tories’ “patient passport scheme” would inexorably lead to the rich jumping the queue on operations.
Dr Reid said: “You won’t of course, you daren’t because you know that it’s a policy of cuts and charges that is unfair, immoral and contrary to the very principle on which the NHS was founded.”
Responding, Mr Howard said he was happy to debate the issues publicly Mr Blair on television at any time.
The Tories last night dismissed suggestions the policy of paying half of the cost of a NHS operation to go private was in breach of Clause 1 of the 1948 Act and amendments made in 1977.
On BBC Newsnight last night, health spokesman Andrew Lansley issued a straight “no” to the question put by Dr Reid.
He said the plans were consistent with charging policies for NHS dentistry, prescriptions and optical treatment.
Dr Reid in response said Mr Lansley had derailed his party’s own flagship policy.
On the same programme, a clearly angered Dr Reid accused presenter Jeremy Paxman of patronising and insulting him because of his Glasgow accent.
Mr Paxman earlier described Dr Reid as a Labour “attack dog”.
