TTIP Fears For NHS

Scottish nursing leaders say a 'cast-iron guarantee' is needed that TTIP won't threaten the national health service.

One of the main aims of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is to open up Europe's public health service which it's claimed could lead to the privatisation of the NHS.

MSPs will debate Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee report today. It found that definitions of public services are not sufficiently clear in the agreement and raises concerns about whether the final agreement would protect the ‘full range of services delivered in Scotland’.

Chair of RCN Scottish Board, Michael Brown, said: “The committee’s report echoes the real concerns of patients, the public and health care staff about what exactly the agreement will mean for our NHS. Many people still fear privatisation ‘through the backdoor’ because the negotiations have been surrounded in secrecy and, as the committee’s report shows, the definition of public services is not clear enough. We need an explicit, cast-iron guarantee that TTIP does not include the NHS.

“Our members have repeatedly expressed their concerns about TTIP and we have been lobbying hard on their behalf. We want politicians whenever they get the opportunity to take on board these concerns and use any influence they have to get the explicit guarantee needed.”