Horrible echoes of Orwell’s Newspeak now ring round the NHS
Max Pemberton writes in his “Trust me, I’m a Junior Doctor” column in the Dail Telegraph:
Indeed, I have very real concerns about the proposed ID cards and the proliferation of the database state. Considering the plans to link the ID database to NHS records, I also fear the implications for access to health care for marginalised groups and the potential for intrusive health-surveillance.
The potential for error and abuse seems great, the benefits infinitesimal. It’s hardly reassuring that the official appointed to oversee the Government’s identity card scheme played a central role in the public-sector computer disaster.
If, as we were originally told, identity cards will help in the war on terror, I find it hard to believe that a suicide bomber would be so concerned about their health that they attend an A&E department.
The NHS Care Records System – which will form a huge national database of patient records, including personal details and private telephone numbers and will be accessible to potentially thousands of NHS workers and government officials – is already being rolled out with no opt-out mechanism for patients on the grounds of infringements of civil liberties.
But while Big Brother may seem to be already with us, we don’t love him yet. A poll published by You Gov last week suggested that hundreds of thousands – maybe even millions – of people would refuse to register for the proposed database that will underpin the ID cards scheme – even if it meant being fined or going to jail. Maybe we’ll wake up from the Orwellian nightmare before it fully begins. And perhaps we’ll cease to be fooled by Blair’s Newspeak.
