10,000 people in UK will die this winter due to energy crisis: NHS

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Aug 14:44
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As winter closes in and energy prices surge, more people are expected to die annually from cold weather.

10,000 people in the UK will die this winter due to energy crisis: NHS

An NHS chief has warned that soaring energy costs will kill more than 10,000 people this winter; a situation the NHS Confederation referred to as a "humanitarian crisis".

Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, warned, “Many people could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions," The Birmingham Mail reported.

“This in turn could lead to outbreaks of illness and sickness around the country and widen health inequalities, worsen children’s life chances and leave an indelible scar on local communities,” he added.

"NHS leaders have made this unprecedented intervention as they know that fuel poverty will inevitably lead to significant extra demand on what are already very fragile services," he added.

"Health leaders are clear that, unless urgent action is taken by the Government, this will cause a public health emergency," he said.

The NHS Confederation's letter addressed to Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Steve Barclay warned that health bosses in the UK are witnessing huge suffering in the local communities because of the cost-of-living crisis.

Taylor told BBC Radio 4's Today program, "It is absolutely clear that if more people are suffering from fuel poverty, more people are unable to heat their homes - that will drive additional demand."

"It's our duty to flag the fact that it looked as though we could be heading for additional demand on a system which is already, even in the middle of August, finding it very difficult to meet demand, and facing an extremely difficult winter," he said, adding, "It's not our job to tell the Government what to do."

"It's our responsibility to be clear about what is likely to be happening in terms of health needs and the capacity of the NHS to cope," he said.

European gas prices surge

European gas prices hit a six-month high, compounding recession fears as the area faces rationing due to Russian supply disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine and the draconian sanctions imposed on Russia.

In Europe, the Dutch TTF natural gas reference price rose more than 10% at one time to more than 250 euros per megawatt hour, the highest level since the beginning of March, not long after the war in Ukraine.