The death of Sir Captain Tom Moore has sent shock waves through what has (so far) been a rather bleak year. On the 2nd of February, he and 1,448 others lost their lives to Covid-19. There is no doubt that Sir Captain Tom Moore, affectionately known as Captain Tom, was a true hero, due to the approximately 33 million pounds he raised for NHS charities in 2020.
In a twitter video tribute, Boris Johnson called Captain Tom “a hero in the truest sense of the word” and called NHS staff “extraordinary”. Captain Tom had an undeniable passion for the NHS, describing staff as full of “kindness and fortitude”, talking about the importance of free healthcare, and agreeing that the NHS is our greatest achievement as a country.
Therefore, the government's response to his death is - to have a ceremonious clap for him and NHS staff. Recently the governments leading line has been “protect the NHS” – yet since the 2010s the Conservatives have kept up their act of stabbing the NHS in the back while they shake its hand for a photo op.
The 2013 privatisation of plasma supplies, the 2017 blocking of nurse pay rises, the hushed chipping away and selling off parts of the NHS, the horrific lack of PPE and Covid-19 tests available to NHS staff during the pandemic – and now what is likely to be the largest scale mental health crisis among NHS workers of our time.
Clapping is not enough. Our NHS needs funding, proper equipment, mental health support, and job security. In the words of Captain Tom, “(The NHS) must go on, for everyone’s good.”
Written by Isa Edwards Buesa
Artwork by Delicia P
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