Government must take action over hospital debts

1.55.16pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 31st Mar 2006

Immediate action should be taken to reduce the level of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) debt suffered by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Woolwich, according to Lib Dem Cllr Mark Pattenden (Eltham South).

Speaking in a council debate on Wednesday night, Cllr Pattenden said that because of the terms of the deal imposed by the government, the hospital was effectively "handcuffed to the debts since it first opened."

"With a growing population in the borough thanks to all the new housing developments, Greenwich's only hospital should be aiming to improve its services not cut them."

"The PFI deal imposed on the QEH and Greenwich was poor," added Cllr Pattenden. "The Department of Health must reconsider the debts and allow the hospital to spend its budget on medical care and improving local health rather than interest payments."

According to the hospital's own figures, it spends £9m more than other hospitals as a result of its PFI deal.