SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
PAC-3 missiles produced by Lockheed Martin. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
'Shock' As Global Arms Manufacturer Jockeys to Get Piece of UK's Privatized Health System
As British government privatizes the National Health Service, Lockheed Martin is among several companies showing interest in a deal
Nov 20, 2014
As one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world, Lockheed Martin has made billions off wars waged by governments from the United States to Colombia. Now the company appears to be maneuvering to profit from the British public's need for health care as the English government moves to privatize and outsource what's left of its National Health Service.
At stake is a lucrative NHS England contract to operate support services--from maintaining medical records to administering prescription payments--for primary care providers. The deal has a value of PS1 billion (more than US$1.5 billion) over the course of ten years, making it NHS England's sweetest yet, Health Service Journal reports.
NHS England, which is one of four publicly-funded health systems that together comprise the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, moved to outsource the services last year. The move is part of the rapid privatization of the country's health system, which was accelerated by legislation passed in 2012.
In recent weeks, NHS England held a meeting with private companies interested in the deal, according to HSJ. While not a single NHS entity attended to bid, Lockheed was one of several multinational companies that showed interest.
London-based Doctor Louise Irvine told The Independent that it is "shocking" that a weapons company could profit from funds "taken from front line care."
Lockheed isn't the only multinational among the potential bidders that makes money from state violence. Private Security Company G4S--which is implicated in torture and unlawful incarceration of Palestinians, as well as human rights abuses in Britain and South Africa--also reportedly participated in the meeting.
According to NHS England, between three or four bidders will negotiate for the contract, which will be awarded in March.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
As one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world, Lockheed Martin has made billions off wars waged by governments from the United States to Colombia. Now the company appears to be maneuvering to profit from the British public's need for health care as the English government moves to privatize and outsource what's left of its National Health Service.
At stake is a lucrative NHS England contract to operate support services--from maintaining medical records to administering prescription payments--for primary care providers. The deal has a value of PS1 billion (more than US$1.5 billion) over the course of ten years, making it NHS England's sweetest yet, Health Service Journal reports.
NHS England, which is one of four publicly-funded health systems that together comprise the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, moved to outsource the services last year. The move is part of the rapid privatization of the country's health system, which was accelerated by legislation passed in 2012.
In recent weeks, NHS England held a meeting with private companies interested in the deal, according to HSJ. While not a single NHS entity attended to bid, Lockheed was one of several multinational companies that showed interest.
London-based Doctor Louise Irvine told The Independent that it is "shocking" that a weapons company could profit from funds "taken from front line care."
Lockheed isn't the only multinational among the potential bidders that makes money from state violence. Private Security Company G4S--which is implicated in torture and unlawful incarceration of Palestinians, as well as human rights abuses in Britain and South Africa--also reportedly participated in the meeting.
According to NHS England, between three or four bidders will negotiate for the contract, which will be awarded in March.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
As one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world, Lockheed Martin has made billions off wars waged by governments from the United States to Colombia. Now the company appears to be maneuvering to profit from the British public's need for health care as the English government moves to privatize and outsource what's left of its National Health Service.
At stake is a lucrative NHS England contract to operate support services--from maintaining medical records to administering prescription payments--for primary care providers. The deal has a value of PS1 billion (more than US$1.5 billion) over the course of ten years, making it NHS England's sweetest yet, Health Service Journal reports.
NHS England, which is one of four publicly-funded health systems that together comprise the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, moved to outsource the services last year. The move is part of the rapid privatization of the country's health system, which was accelerated by legislation passed in 2012.
In recent weeks, NHS England held a meeting with private companies interested in the deal, according to HSJ. While not a single NHS entity attended to bid, Lockheed was one of several multinational companies that showed interest.
London-based Doctor Louise Irvine told The Independent that it is "shocking" that a weapons company could profit from funds "taken from front line care."
Lockheed isn't the only multinational among the potential bidders that makes money from state violence. Private Security Company G4S--which is implicated in torture and unlawful incarceration of Palestinians, as well as human rights abuses in Britain and South Africa--also reportedly participated in the meeting.
According to NHS England, between three or four bidders will negotiate for the contract, which will be awarded in March.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.