NTQ! Pods: Danny Boyle sure made the National Health Service look good in his homage to the institution during the Olympics opening ceremony. Yet, under the conservative coalition government NHS funding has also been a victim of austerity.
In south east London, thousands of protesters turned out to show their support for their local hospital in the Borough of Lewisham, which will have its Accident and Emergency Department along with its Maternity ward closed.
The protest was organized by 'Save Lewisham Hospital's A&E', a grassroots group that has been holding public meetings to discuss the closures. Lewisham Hospital's A&E sees some 120,000 patients a year. The closure is also representative of the thousands of cuts that the NHS has faced, which is ultimately leading towards a significantly more privatized healthcare system.
While we Americans are just started to get more equitable healthcare, our British cousins are fighting to keep their healthcare system out of the hands of for-profit companies.
NTQ!'s Heather Turner reports from London.
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