This is the view of one doctor in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh of what the private finance initiative (PFI) means to him, his colleagues, and his successors. His view may simplify some of the complexities of the initiative, but it's more true than untrue. The private finance initiative is a "smoke and mirrors" policy that may destroy the NHS. The complexity of it all has left many electors bemused, and the English media (unlike their Scottish equivalents) have not managed to put this issue before the public in a way that grabs their attention. But we must wake up to the profound implications of the private finance initiative before it's too late. And this is not just some local dispute: public-private partnerships, of which the private finance initiative is one form, are being used worldwide and in sectors other than health care-such as education and criminal justice. Poor people in the developing world may suffer much more than the people of Edinburgh.
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