Is the government's decision to ring fence NHS funding fair? Two experts debate the issue on bmj.com. John Appleby, Chief Economist at the King's Fund argues that the alternative to ring fencing is too painful. "If the NHS were not protected it would have to find cuts amounting to around 14% of its budget (equivalent to £18bn) over the next few years," he writes. He suggests the NHS could achieve this by cutting staff pay by 30%, sacking all consultants and general practitioners, or abolishing the NHS in Scotland and Wales... 
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