Ealing Hospital: The Fight is On

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 14th Jul 2007

Nigel Bakhai is campaigning to save Ealing Hospital

New plans announced this week place a major question mark over Ealing Hospital. The Government's new Health Minister believes that huge savings can be made from the hospital budget in London.

The pressure group Health Emergency has warned of the dangers of closing hospitals. They say that the Government plan "would pave the way for the closure or downgrading of nine London hospitals."

The critics of the plan call it "a package of cash-led cuts to local services dressed up as a rational planning process." A British Medical Association spokesman warned that the Government plan "strips resources from hospitals and GP services".

Local NHS Campaigner Nigel Bakhai immediately responded to news of the plans: "Ealing hospital is my local hospital. As a local MP I will fight as hard as I can for the local health services on which we all depend. Many people are fed up with Labour's costly and ineffective NHS re-organisations."