they need to re-coup money they have spent on research. In reality this means they monopolise the market and safeguard their profits by being able to charge exorbitant prices.
Advertising The NHS pays heavily for its subordination to the drug firms, providing an annual average 18 per cent trading profit. This contrasts with the average rate of return of 12 per cent in all other manufacturing industries.
More money is spent on advertising drugs than research - in 1965 advertising costs were £15.6 million, whilst research costs totalled £11.6 mated that 42 per cent of the drugs are ineffective in any case.
The domination of capitalist interests over medical care has ensured that doctors are given a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Doctors can and do prescribe all treatment and are given a monopoly of medical knowledge which they jealously guard.
This strengthens their bargaining power - witness how the consultants can impose their own demands on the Government - and makes sure that they are deeply committed to preserving their own powers irrespective of whether or not they clash with the health needs of people. CRISIS IN THE the simple basic needs of a patient.
For the ruling class the function of health care is to provide and maintain a productive labour force. Illnesses or physical and mental ailments and conditions which need long treatment or for which there is no known cure are low on the list of priorities for treatment, and generally bottom of the list for research funds. Priorities Brian Watkin, who writes the weekly column "Reflections' in the journal Nursing Mirror - widely read by nurses - has no doubt where capitalism's priorities should be.
In the 8 April edition of the magazine, he says: Day centres for the elderly will more than pay their way by virtue of the fact that they make it possible to avoid taking some elderly people into much more expensive residential care.
Worried about the loss of production through people attending out-patient clinics during the day, he suggests they could run them 'in the evenings and concludes by pointing out that while some groups would suffer in the short term', it all 'depends on what we as a nation produce.
Watkin's dream of conveyor belt' medicine is merely a product and extend the National Health petition we reproduce below.
attacks on the health and safety the Labour Party Conference.
ition in your union branch, get it and circulate it amongst their October, when Labour meets in ments conference policy on the London NW11. As part of the campaign to defend Service the NCC has launched the Every serious militant who is against the policies of the Labour Government and wants to fight its of working people should support both the petition and the lobby of Make sure that you take the petyour Labour Party members to sign workmates. At every meeting called against the cuts get signatures for the petition. From now until