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UK: Lord denounces hospital merger review, says OFT knows ‘nothing’ about healthcare

By  |  January 15, 2013

While the Office of Fair Trading has referred a proposed merger between Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals to the Competition Commission for further investigation, Lord Hunt of the nation’s Labour party slammed the antitrust investigation in the House of Lords. While health minister Earl Howe defended the scrutiny of the proposed merger, Lord Hunt said the OFT “knows virtually nothing about the health service” and that the investigation would send the wrong message that competition is more important than quality of service in the healthcare sector. A statement by the OFT said that the proposed merger is being looked at more closely as it initially appears that the two parties are close competitors and may result in fewer providers for patients.

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