Tens of thousands gather in London for NHS protest

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Tens of thousands of people, including National Health Services (NHS) workers, marched in central London to protest austerity cuts in the country’s health services.

Activists, medical workers and members of the public held up banners such as “We want our NHS back” and “The NHS for the needy, not the greedy”.

Union leaders say many NHS services "are on their knees", despite the fact that the Department of Health says an extra £4 billion will be invested in the NHS.

Speakers, including Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn criticized the government’s policies in speeches.

“The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need,” Corbyn said.

“There are those waiting on trolleys and those who are desperate to get into an A&E department waiting hours for treatment. It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a government who have made a political choice.” he added.

The organizers said over 200,000 people marched on Saturday .