Letter: Costs of the PFI
Sir: The former chief executive of Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary deplores the greater cost of borrowing money for building new hospitals when private sector companies, rather than the Government, are the borrowers (letter, 19 July).
This is not the only drawback of the Private Finance Initiative. The companies who build and run a hospital on behalf of the NHS are obliged to make the profits of shareholders their priority. This demands a rapid turnover of patients.
It is difficult to see how this can be reconciled with the medical teaching and research for which Oxford is internationally renowned. A business strategy which depends on "fast throughout" should not be allowed to dictate the length of patients' stay, particularly when this is linked to the training role of university hospitals
Dr M I HEATLEY
Oxford
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies