Political opinion: Independent Candidate Tanushka Marah backs striking healthcare workers

This is a contributed party political press release. This website and its associated newspapers support no political party and it does not necessarily reflect our views. We consider contributed releases from all lawful parties as part of the vibrant debate in the run-up to the General Election and would encourage all candidates to use this platform to positively explain their vision and policies for their local communities.

With healthcare, including mental health care, being the most pressing issue for constituents, it is evident that significant action is required to address the crisis facing our healthcare system.

"GP services, the NHS, mental health services, and the social care system are in dire need of substantial investment. This is by far the most popular subject that constituents have written to me about and have raised at our campaign people assemblies,” said Tanushka Marah.

"Healthcare workers and social care workers form the backbone of our system and deserve a substantial pay rise.

"The NHS is being dismantled by the Conservatives, and Labour's support for further privatisation and its so-called fiscal rules will not allow it to invest sufficiently to solve this crisis in our healthcare system," stated Marah.

"We must end privatisation, crack down on offshore tax avoidance, introduce a wealth tax, and restore pay levels for all our public sector workers.

“The current exodus of skilled medical staff to other countries is alarming. This trend must be reversed through a dedicated recruitment drive and a pay uplift. Our healthcare professionals should be valued and retained within our country.”

Marah told the Royal College of Nursing election hustings in Brighton on Monday that she supports the full funding of nursing university courses and the abolition of student fees to encourage more people to study nursing and other healthcare vocations, to address the recruitment and retention crisis.

One of the key pledges in Marah's manifesto is to establish a National Care Service to replace the failing privatised, profit-driven social care system. “Our elderly, vulnerable individuals, and those with special needs deserve better care. Restoring NHS funding, ensuring fair and improved pay for social care staff, and urgently investing in mental health services are crucial steps towards this goal.” Marah added.

On Tuesday, June 18th, Tanushka Marah hosted a public meeting focused on the NHS, featuring insights from a local retired nurse, GP, midwife, and psychiatrist. They shared data highlighting the degradation of the NHS, personal stories from patients, and the profound impact on healthcare workers.

Local GP, Dr Nupur Verma, one of the panelists at Marah’s NHS public assembly last week, said:

“There are good, solid reasons that explain what is going wrong with the NHS. The first is, our NHS has been chronically underfunded for over a decade. There is simply not enough money going into the system.

“We need proper, long term investment. That's investment in workforce, training, healthcare. Supporting clinicians, retaining clinicians.

“We need to remove private corporate providers from the NHS. We do not want or need shareholders to profit from our NHS. I would argue that to nurse our NHS back to life, we need to remove those parasitical corporations from the organisation that's the NHS.

“Lastly, we need to elect leaders. We need to elect MPs who truly believe in the NHS. Who don't just give lip service. We need MPs who understand what the NHS needs. I believe that Tanushka, if elected, can help bring our ailing NHS back to full health.”

Another resident from Portslade, who attended the NHS assembly, said:

“Tanushka Marah is not a career politician but a local person who genuinely wants to see better local services for local people. By building the manifesto with input from residents of Hove and Portslade, Tanushka ensures that people's voices are front and centre—meaning everyone's voices. This campaign is different because it prioritises grassroots democracy and community involvement, reflecting the true needs and desires of the local population.”

Marah's NHS manifesto is being shaped through a grassroots democracy process. "I am running a community-backed, grassroots-based election campaign, opposing cuts and the privatisation of public services, and advocating for action on the climate emergency. Our policies are crafted with input from workshops and the support of local campaign networks, ensuring that we represent residents' ideas for a better future in Hove and Portslade," Marah explained.

"Collectively, I believe the constituents of Hove and Portslade have all the ideas that inform my approach. I hope this continues after the election in a process of continuous conversation and building consensus, listening, and formulating solutions together."