HEALTH campaigners descended on Malvern on Saturday to protest about NHS cuts in the county.

The Save Our Health Service rally, organised by West Worcestershire's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate Richard Burt attracted about 150 protesters.

The rally followed news the county's Primary Care Trust, which oversees services such as doctors and dentists, must save nearly £17m by the end of the March to balance its books.

Fears the PCT will be forced to impose huge cuts to meet the target prompted the action, although the PCT has assured people this will not be the case.

There was also concern over Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's £30m debt and job losses with 720 under threat.

Speakers included Wyre Forest's independent Health Concern MP Dr Richard Taylor and veteran Malvern hospital campaigner Pat Merrick.

Mrs Merrick of the Malvern Hospital League of Friends said she was furious with the situation and something had to be done.

She added she had sat on five project boards to try and get a new hospital for Malvern and still they did not have one.

But protestors said the rally was marred by Harriett Baldwin, Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire, who stood up to make a speech which they saw as being too political for the march.

Mr Burt addressed the crowd in Priory Park following the march, and said: "You can't pay for the mismanagement of the Health Service in Whitehall by cuts to jobs and services. That's the reason we are here today. It's to send a clear message to the government who need to free the local trustees from the shackles and allow health services to be locally led."

Dr Richard Taylor added it was crucial people knew about the cuts in the NHS - and urged the public to lobby top public figures, including MPs, doctors and royal colleges of medicine to try and get their voices heard.

"One of the worse threats to the NHS is privatisation. It is not that we are against the private involvement in any way, for example care home and pharmaceuticals. But instead of privatising it, if you put the money in the NHS then it can do the job it should be doing.

"It is incredible that with the welcome extra investment into the NHS that it is still in deficit, and that the immediate economies demanded by government are leading to staff reductions that will impact on quality of services.

"This can all make a very real difference. We have just got to make an awful lot of noise about it."

Worcester GP John O'Driscoll, who is on the local medical committee, said the health service was under immense pressure and there was huge amounts of rationing - and he believed patients were dying because of it.

He added patients should try and make the NHS their own before they lose it.

Campaigners have vowed to continue their fight and have set up a petition against NHS cuts.

. For pictures see Monday's Worcester News.