Madam,

I applaud the efforts of our local emergency services personnel in raising funds for the chemotherapy unit in Bronglais Hospital, but I am compelled to ask why their actions are necessary? Over the past 15 years of my career in the NHS I have seen it systematically stripped of resources until it is so underfunded it can no longer deliver the care that our population needs without relying on charitable donations.

From a medical point of view, a well-resourced chemotherapy unit in Bronglais is a necessity, and should be paid for in full from within the NHS budget. Similarly, in Scotland, where tax-raising powers allow more money to be spent on health, the air ambulance is recognised as necessary and paid for by NHS budgets. We in Wales suffer from the austerity policies of the political elite in London, and must fund-raise among ourselves to run our air ambulances as a charity.

I am grateful for the generosity of local people in supporting our NHS in the face of political adversity, but I feel the media has a responsibility to ensure that the question is always asked: why is this necessary? What else can we do to ensure that our services survive? I believe that challenging the current political agenda of austerity and privatisation in England is key to securing the future of our NHS in Wales and throughout the whole of the UK.

Yours etc,

Dr Louise Hyde, GP, Dyfi Valley Health.

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