many people.
But united action has to be forged not just on individual questions but on all the central issues of the day. Until now, attempts to do this have come mainly from the bureaucratically controlled LCDTU or the organisationally sectarian Rank-and-File movement, or through the attempts of the IWC to rally in defence of Labour's Manifesto.
MCAPP showed another way forward. It put forward demands which can meet the needs of the working class. It brought together Labour Party and Communist Party militants as well as militants trom the revolutionary left and independents. It was organised in a democratic manner - every point of view was heard. cent of all beds are in hospitals built before 1918.° icies would worsen it. are all bound to come." "One in every hundred people in Britain in 1974 were on • hospital waiting lists - that is more than in 1949, when the National Health Service was introduced. Seventy-five per These were the opening remarks of Dr Dominic Costa speaking on behalf of The Medical Committee Against Private Practice at last Saturday's Conference. He explained that the plans of Harold Wilson. Denis Healev and Barbara Castle would not only perpetuate this situation - "their polHe pointed out: "Only 20 days ago, Camden and Islington Area Health Authority wrote that "funds expected over the next ten vears would only be between one hall to one third of what was needed, and whole London hospitals would have to close because of Government restrictions on spending." At the other end of London. the Regional and Area Health Authorities have produced a plan which means they are going to close down four hospitals without building any new ones.
But closures are not just confined to London, he told the Conference. He quoted the Chairman of the West Midlands Dr Costa went on: "During the nurses' strike, COHSE.... calculated that the health service was 80,000 nurses short. But only four months ago the South Glamorgan Area Health - Says Cunference spokesperson.
Authority made its whole intake of 50 newly qualified nurses recundant un rorsmount a wole make or ou nurses las been made redundant - this in a city with a chronic shortage of nurses in the hospitals.
As you can see, the cuts are continuing. In fact they are being spearheaded by the Wilson/Healey leadership, who are subordinating the needs of the NHS and its working class patients to an ailing and bankrupt capitalist system. The health service under the Labour Government is going down the drain, and the luxurious private clinics are going up all the time.... the Labour Government is pulling down the NHS He stressed that we cannot rely on the Labour Government and the Labour Party alone to stop the cutbacks, and emphasised the need for a united political campaign of the whole workers' movement - inside and outside the Labour Party, inside and outside Parliament. back the attacks and transform the NHS so that it is respon sible to and controlled by the work ng class In his concluding remarks, Dr Costa said that MCAPP would be proposing a national demonstration against the cuts. It would be organising local conferences and trying to build local actions against the run-down of the NHS. It would fight for a workers' enquiry run by the labour movement. Above all else, it would 'campaign for maximum working class unity o aeneve s ams This is needed to roll JANET MAGUIRE, MCAPP Organ 'After this Conference we will be organising a series of local conferences and meetings. The aim is to set up broad based action committees waich nave une support of significant sections of healthworkers and other sections of the labour The National Co-ordinating Commit tee has widened the basis of MCAPP and will alow us to extend the campaign into wider sections of the labour move'Delegates should ensure that they