Rifkind firm awarded NHS contract despite charging £7 million more than NHS

(not satire – it’s the Cameron government!)

The Cameron government has awarded an £80 million NHS contract to a private firm despite the company charging taxpayers £7 million more than an NHS consortium bidding against it:

Stoke NHS hospital scanning contract won by private firm

The government, however, hasn’t said why the firm – Alliance Medical Group – won the contract despite its bid being so much more expensive.

That’s because the bidding process was for some reason secret.

Ian Syme, co-ordinator of pressure group North Staffordshire, said of the awarding of the contract:

“This whole process has been shrouded in secrecy. We don’t even know who – expert adviser or public representative – were on the panel.”

This, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that a director of the firm is none other than disgraced ‘cash for access‘ Tory MP Malcolm Rifkind.

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