London: Protest held against government's Health and Care Bill

LONDON, UK - OCTOBER 26: A group of Londoners have gathered on Tuesday, Oct. 26, in protest against the government's Health and Care Bill and called for withdrawing the bill. Protesters included healthcare professionals, and Zarah Sultana, the British Labour Party Deputy. "We are here today in solidarity with all the amazing organizations that represent our NHS," Sultana said. "The NHS will exist as long as there are people that fight for it, and we will continue to fight for it," she added. Protesters carried banners against the bill and claimed that the health system would get worse with the privatization of the National Health Service (NHS). The Health and Care Bill 2021-22 [Bill 140 of 2021-22] was introduced in the House of Commons on 6 July 2021. The Government says the Bill builds on the NHS’s own proposals for reform, aiming to make it less bureaucratic, more accountable, and more integrated, and that it has incorporated lessons learnt from the pandemic. The NHS England Chief Executive, Sir Simon Stevens, said the Bill’s proposals for integrated care were “widely supported”. The Chief Executive said the reforms would “undoubtedly both help tackle health inequalities and speed the recovery of care disrupted by the covid pandemic.” (Footage by Bilal Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)