Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/554/6554
From The Socialist newspaper, 29 October 2008
Royal Glamorgan hospital
Save our neonatal services!
WORKING-CLASS people in the Pontypridd area are mounting an inspiring campaign against the 'temporary' downgrading of neonatal services at Royal Glamorgan hospital (RGH), in Llantrisant.
Sarah Mayo
Cwm Taf NHS Trust has downgraded the neonatal unit from a level three to a level two service. So babies born before 29 weeks into a pregnancy will now have to be transferred to Bristol or further afield and separated from their mothers.
This unacceptable, cost-cutting measure, putting both premature babies and their mothers at risk, has been done with no public consultation!
The 'Save the Royal Glamorgan Neonatal unit' campaign, with over 4,000 facebook members, organised a well-attended protest in Pontypridd town centre on 25 October. Hundreds of petitions were signed. People expressed angry disbelief that a service many have needed and used, is now under threat.
This is just the latest NHS cutback. Many agreed wholeheartedly that the cost of maintaining the neonatal service is just a minuscule fraction of what the government has spent bailing out the banks.
The campaign organisers agreed that the next stage is to organise a lobby of the Welsh Assembly to present the petitions, demanding that Assembly health minister Edwina Hart intervenes immediately and secures the present service.
Hart is part of the Plaid Cymru/ New Labour coalition government. Defending the NHS against Assembly cuts was a big theme of last year's Assembly elections and after protests by community campaigns and trades councils across Wales, Plaid Cymru opportunistically made opposing the cuts a key part of their election campaign.
The Welsh Assembly was forced to back away from many of their health cuts, including the threat to merge Princes Charles hospital, Merthyr Tydfil and the RGH. Yet now we see RGH's neonatal services under serious threat.
Working-class people are again forced to organise protests and lobbies to try to persuade Welsh Assembly politicians to carry out their election promises and stop these outrageous cuts.
Socialist Party members will keep participating in this campaign, including encouraging members of similar NHS campaigns elsewhere in Wales to join the lobby of the Assembly where possible and strengthen the links between local campaigns.
Why not click here to join the Socialist Party, or click here to donate to the Socialist Party.
In The Socialist 29 October 2008:
Credit crunch
Worlds apart... in 'them and us' society
Are we heading for a new Great Depression?
Recession getting deeper - 'real world' suffering
Socialism 2008
Time to change the world - come and hear the case for socialism
Socialist Party campaigns
Postal workers march for their jobs
Socialist Party workplace news
National civil service strike 10 November
JCB - Why should we accept redundancies and pay cuts?
Unite calls off London bus strike
International socialist news and analysis
Israel/Palestine Moving towards a new conflict?
Ireland: Pensioners' revolt - government forced back
Italy: Mass movement to stop education cuts
Car industry
Car industry in crisis: A fighting strategy
Socialist Students
Defeat NUS' undemocratic plans
Newcastle University chancellor is out of touch
Fighting cuts at Northampton Uni
Home | The Socialist 29 October 2008 | Join the Socialist Party
Join us today!
Printable version
email to friend
