There was agreement within the group that such change would not occur by top down negotiation and pressure alone. A powerful and well-coordinated grassroots movement would be needed to ensure that citizens benefit from the constitutional and legislative changes. The group also called for urgent action to reverse the incremental loss of health care choices and diminished scope in self-care or practitioner-guided non-standard care that have been linked, at least in part, to the UK’s membership of the EU.
The meeting, called by its chair, David Tredinnick MP for Bosworth, brought together a diverse range of interests, from patients and heads of associations, to clinicians and business owners.
The main speaker, setting the scene for the debate, was sustainability scientist and natural health campaigner, Robert Verkerk PhD, executive director of the Alliance for Natural Health International.
Commenting after the meeting, Dr Verkerk said: “In the wake of the ongoing global shake up to the political establishment and with Brexit negotiations soon to start in earnest, it was heartening to get unanimous agreement that the present circumstances provide an unparalleled opportunity to give the British public what they’ve been demanding for years. And that’s the freedom to make health choices that include those that have been almost regulated out of existence by the EU – or pushed to the margins by the medical establishment and the NHS in the UK.”
During the lively parliamentary group debate, David Tredinnick argued passionately for urgent action and undertook to convene a meeting of experts with Brexit Secretary, David Davis, to discuss the options.
NHS interim consultant, patient and cancer survivor, Charmaine Comrie of Charmaine Comrie Consulting Ltd, commented, "Patient's deserve to be given all the treatment options available so they can make an informed choice and ultimately be empowered over their healthcare”.
In his role as Chairman of the Chinese Medical Institute and Register (CMIR) and Vicepresident of the Committee for International Communication of Chinese Medicine at the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, Don Mei spoke of the potential that could be unlocked by re-building a bridge between China and the UK should the limitations of EU laws
be lifted.
Desiree Shelley, President of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), echoed widely voiced sentiments for unity among the many factions working outside the NHS, saying, “We need to come together to have a much stronger voice.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the all party parliamentary group agreed to form a working group, develop a position paper, and begin to coordinate its ambitious plans with its wide network of interests.
END.
Editors’ Notes
Photos from the meeting can be provided on request.
Please contact the ANH Team, [email protected] or tel 01306 646 600.
About the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Integrated Healthcare
Purpose: To facilitate among politicians the exchange of information on integrated healthcare;
to stimulate well-informed debate; and to contribute towards the development of knowledge
and policies on the subject.
Chair: David Tredinnick (Con)
Vice-Chair: Valerie Vaz (Lab)
Secretary: Oliver Colvile (Con)
President: Lord Colwyn (Con)
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/integratedhealthcare.htm
About Alliance for Natural Health International
The Alliance for Natural Health International is an independent, non-governmental organisation established in 2002 that promotes and protects natural, sustainable and bio-compatible approaches to healthcare and disease prevention. Our approach is based on ‘good science’ and ‘good law’ and our core activities cover research, education and awareness-raising, legal and advocacy.
ANH-Intl’s quest to help more people ‘love nature, live naturally’ means we engage with a broad range of issues relating to health and disease prevention, especially those involving dietary and lifestyle modification. It is our position that our species is more successful when we choose to work with nature, rather than against it. Accordingly, we are passionate about increasing adoption of scientifically validated, natural and sustainable approaches to healthcare and disease prevention, taking into account cultural needs and individual requirements. The threat of uncertainty, as well as regulatory and other pressures, including from large food and pharmaceutical lobbies, continue to limit freedom of choice in the field of natural health. At ANH, we strive to protect these freedoms along with individual empowerment and engagement. ANH-Intl was founded by Robert Verkerk PhD, an internationally acclaimed expert in agricultural and health sustainability. Our international office is based in Dorking, UK, while our US base (www.anh-usa.org) operates out of Atlanta, GA. We collaborate with a diverse cross section of interests, including scientists, lawyers, medical doctors, other health professionals, politicians, companies and, above all, consumers.