Hospital crisis stoles anger in pre -election Britain

STAFFORD:

United Kingdom: ;The protesttents are being taken
down but resentment burns on in Stafford ,where
the hospital is a notorious example of a health-care
crisis roilling Britain ahead of May's general election.

The maternity and paediatrics units have been moved
to another town ,the emergency ward has to shut down
at night because of budget cuts and medical workers
are up in arms about too much work and too little pay.

Staff are on their knees said Karen Howell ,a nurse
in this former industrial town in central England
who helped set up a protest camp in the hospital
grounds and is cmpaigning with a new political
party.

The national Health Action Party is fielding a total
of 12 candidates at the election-most of them nurses
and doctors in the National Health service Britain's
state founded system of free universal healthcare.

Set up in 1948.the NHS is a source of pride
for many Britain and a constant headache for
politician .It was once described as the nearest
thing  the English have to a religion by  Margaret
Thatcher's finance minister  Nigel Lawson.

The NHS crisis is thecrown jewel,you don't
touch it said Howell.
The  NHS crisis has been particularly acute
 this winter,with several emergency wards declaring
a major incident because they cloud no longer
cope with new patients and bed blockers-
elderly patients who are too infirm to go home
but not sick enough for hospital.
AFP>