Theatre / protect our nhs
Bristol Protect Our NHS host Banner Theatre’s protest show ‘Enough is Enough!’
A retired senior lecturer in International Relations and Politics, Ron Mendel now campaigns for Bristol Protect Our NHS (PoNHS).
As an American-born British citizen who has lived in the UK since 1987, he has had experience of health systems both sides of the Atlantic.
“In the United States I incurred a substantial debt of 17,000 dollars in 1983 for hospital treatment because I could not afford health insurance,” he recounts.
is needed now More than ever
“What I appreciate more than anything else about our NHS is that it assures most patients they can count on health care, with some exceptions, and not worry about their ability to pay.”
NHS Choir on the occasion of the NHS’s 75th birthday, July 2023
With all that said, Mendel considers there to be a perfect storm currently facing the NHS: a combination of dire staff shortages, difficulty in accessing treatments and escalating demand arising from longer life expectancy, a rise in chronic illness and a growing population.
In the last few years there have been strikes from doctors and nurses over their pay and conditions (most recently from junior doctors in September 2023), without resolution. “Meanwhile,” reflects Mendel, “the healthcare insurance industry is booming.”
Unwilling to stand by and accept the status quo, he became involved in PoNHS, campaigning against the privatisation of health care and the under-resourcing of the NHS.
Protect our NHS Festival at Forwards Festival, 2023
To raise awareness of their cause, PoNHS has invited radical theatre group Banner Theatre to Bristol, to present their touring production Enough is Enough to an audience at Cotham Parish Church on October 6.
Combining songs, interviews and footage from the picket lines, the show is a dramatic illustration of the crisis, and the medical professionals fighting back.
“Banner Theatre are entertaining, educational and inspiring,” Mendel says. “This show is a must for anyone concerned for the future of the NHS.”
Enough is Enough! is at Cotham Parish Church on October 6 at 7.30pm, and then touring. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk.
All photos: Bristol Protect Our NHS
Read more: ‘Claps don’t pay the bills’ – NHS workers march through city centre
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
