In the February edition of Socialist Voice we published a discussion article headed “Beyond the National Health Service.” The article raised questions about the character of health systems under imperialist and capitalist conditions, in particular the British NHS, and what a health system in the interests of the Irish people might look like—taking socialist Cuba as inspiration.
As intended, the article has prompted discussion about a crucial area of struggle for the Irish working class. The Communist Party of Ireland welcomes that discussion but wishes to make clear what CPI policy is in this area.
At its 25th National Congress in December 2017 the political resolution adopted called unequivocally for “a National Health Service for the whole of Ireland. This means a restructuring of the health service in the South and a defence of the NHS in the North.” The congress also committed the CPI wholeheartedly “to unite our people in Northern Ireland and beyond on the basis of a programme against austerity, against the destruction of the NHS, education cuts, and the destruction of public services and the welfare state.”
