GREEN SAYS ‘BUY’ TO PFI HOSPITAL
assets/Uploads/_resampled/SetWidth175-NHS.jpg

Adrian Ramsay, former UEA student and Green Party deputy leader, used his conference speech to criticise controversial Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes, of which the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital is one example.

The scheme, whereby the government allows private firms to build public hospitals or schools, and then rents out these buildings (at a profit), is divisive. For Labour, it means shiny new buildings without the hefty initial outlay. But for the Greens, the high rent paid to these profiteering firms comes at too high a cost to the public.

Ramsay argues that a new study written, by a UEA economist, shows that buying the hospital outright, at a cost of about £300 million, will save the public £500 million over the 30 year contract.

Alas, not everyone agrees. According to a powerful parliamentary committee, the report seems to ‘significantly underestimate’ the cost of buying the hospital outright.

Either way, it seems difficult to imagine the government finding £300 million to buy out just ONE of the PFI hospitals, in the middle of a recession. It’s a bit like renting a house: you might be aware you’re lining the owner’s pockets, but a mortgage (or buying outright), is just beyond the realms of possibility.

TOM GRIERSON
REPORTER