Gulliver

Sana Kliniken, one of Germany’s largest private healthcare providers, has a long history of strikes, investigations and lawsuits. Sana has been sued, in many cases successfully, by family members of patients, who alleged medical malpractice after their family member died or suffered serious health issues following treatment in Sana facilities. Sana has faced countless criticisms and protests over being awarded privatized community hospital contracts in cities across Germany, from Düsseldorf to Ulm to Koblenz. The most evidence that privatization of health doesn’t work has been seen at Sana clinics, with the company closing essential services like delivery rooms, laboratories and psychotherapy departments once they were no longer profitable.

Serco was founded in 1929 as RCA Services Limited. It changed its name to Serco in 1987. Its main business is privatized government services in the sectors of health, transport, justice, immigration, space, defence and citizens services. In addition Serco also runs six prisons, an immigration removal centre and the sleeper train from London to Scotland in the UK.

In 2013 the company was accused of defrauding the British government in their electronic tagging (of offenders) contract. The company was fined, and two managers were prosecuted. Serco was fined £23 million after claims it had charged the government for electronically monitoring people who were either dead, in jail, or had left the country. Serco has also paid the ministry of Justice £70 million in a civil settlement.

In 2020, the UK government came under fire for awarding a no-bid £57 million contract to Serco run COVID testing centers in the UK.