London, Sep 12
The United Kingdom's (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that there will be "no more money without reform" for the National Health Service (NHS) following a critical report on its current state.
"We have to fix the plumbing before turning on the taps," Starmer said in a speech at the King's Fund in London, a health thinktank. "So hear me when I say this -- no more money without reform."
Lord Ara Darzi, a former Labour peer and surgeon, published a scathing, government-commissioned report earlier in the day after completing a nine-week independent investigation into the state of the NHS. He said the country's health service is in a "critical condition" and in "serious trouble."
Among his key findings are that the UK's Accident & Emergency (A&E) services are in an "awful state," with long wait times likely contributing to an additional 14,000 deaths each year. He also noted that the UK has higher cancer mortality rates compared to other countries.
Starmer described Darzi's report as a "raw and honest assessment" of the NHS. He also criticized the previous Conservative government for "breaking" the healthcare system, saying, "People have the right to be angry," Xinhua news agency reported.
"Public satisfaction in the NHS has fallen from an all-time-high when the last Labour government left office to an all-time-low today," he said. Starmer's Labour Party swept into power in early July after a landslide victory in UK's general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
The prime minister promised to deliver a 10-year plan to fix the NHS. He outlined the government's three priorities for reform: an increased focus on digital technology, enhanced emphasis on primary care, and a greater commitment to prevention.