MORE than 150 Bromsgrove residents have signed a letter calling on Sajid Javid to vote against the new Health and Care Bill.
A protest was held in Bromsgrove Town Centre on Saturday, February 27 as campaigners joined around 80 demonstrations across the country in support of NHS Action Day.
The Bill is currently passing through the House of Lords and is due to be heard again in the House of Commons later this year.
A significant provision within the Bill is changes to competition rules which has caused concern over the level of private sector involvement within the health service.
It has prompted anti-privatisation campaigners to warn the Bill may allow contracts to be awarded to private healthcare providers without proper scrutiny.
Sam Amaar, Bromsgrove Labour party secretary, said: “If this Bill is passed, all of us will feel the pain of more privatisation.
“We can expect more cuts and more cronyism under the new powers to be given to the secretary of state.
“The Health and Care Bill will make years of underfunding, understaffing and privatisation far worse.”
Jude Byrne, aged 67, is a retired NHS nurse and midwife and is worried about the future for the NHS.
She said: “I have seen the NHS change for the last 45 years. Now, this Bill is the real final nail in the coffin.
“The Bill is dreadful for the NHS. The secretary of state will have the final decision on what is provided and how, not the doctors.”
A spokesperson for Sajid Javid MP said: “The Health and Care Bill delivers on the NHS’s own proposals for reform and will support staff and patients as we work together to meet the challenges of the future.
“The NHS is and always will be free at the point of use and paid for by general taxation.”