London: The Conservatives are pledging an extra £8 billion (Dh44 billion) a year for the National Health Service (NHS) in England by 2020 if they win the UK election on May 7.
The party said it was “absolutely confident” it could fund the five-year plan for the service, drawn up by its boss Simon Stevens last year.
Labour, which is highlighting its own guarantee of one-to-one midwife care, said the “unfunded” Conservative pledge was a sign of a campaign in panic.
The Lib Dems have also pledged £8 billion, funded by scrapping some tax reliefs.
In other election news, Nick Clegg’s party is also promising new laws to protect people’s rights online including the threat of prison sentences for firms illegally selling personal information.
Last year Stevens, head of NHS England, cited £8 billion as the funding gap between what the NHS currently receives and what it needs to implement his modernisation programme.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there had been a “step change” in demand for the NHS due to an ageing population, and said the Tories’ commitment was “not a blank cheque”.
Asked how the Conservatives would fund the pledge, he said the economy had been turned around and pointed to investment in the service during the last Parliament, when the government guaranteed an above-inflation increase in funding.
He said: “If you want to be sceptical about the commitment, look at the track record.”
As part of their action plan for the NHS, Prime Minister Cameron is promising same-day access to GPs for over-75s, recruitment of more than 5,000 family doctors, better integration of GP and hospital services and improved weekend and evening access to healthcare for patients.
The £8 billion will ensure the service can “continue to deliver an amazing service”, he will say.
But Labour’s shadow health minister, Liz Kendall, said the pledge was “not worth the paper it’s written on.”
She told Today: “We are the only party that has committed additional funding to the NHS that’s properly sourced... we will do whatever it takes to get the NHS the money it needs.”
Labour has promised an extra £2.5 billion a year for the NHS, to be paid for by a tax on homes worth £2 million or more, a levy on the sales of tobacco companies and curbing what it says are tax breaks enjoyed by hedge funds and other finance firms.
Ed Miliband’s party is confirming its £138 million pledge to recruit 3,000 extra midwives to ensure women get one-to-one care during labour.
Last month, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg challenged his rivals to “come clean” on how they would fund the £8 billion shortfall.
He said his party would add £2 billion allocated in the Autumn Statement to funds raised by scrapping some reliefs on capital gains tax and employee share schemes, enabling it to invest £3.5 billion over six years on mental health care.
NHS England boss Simon Stevens says efficiency savings can account for £22 billion of the service’s £30 billion shortfall.
Liberal Democrat health minister Norman Lamb accused the Tories of “trying to pull the wool over the British public’s eyes”.
“It’s easy to say you want to support the NHS, the difficult part is saying how you will pay for it. As Nick Clegg said, the NHS doesn’t need warm words, it needs hard cash,” he told BBC Radio 5Live.
