PROTESTORS are planning to take their fight against the naming of Glasgow's new £842 million hospital after Queen Elizabeth to its doors.
The organiser of a petition calling for the new royal name to be dropped said a peaceful demonstration by the Govan Road entrance is planned for Friday, October 23.
He stressed the campaigners were serious about their aim and intended a civil protest.
When the new hospital opened on the Southern General site in May this year it was called the South Glasgow University Hospital - a name which had been ratified by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and used on sign posts and buses.
However, when the building was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth this summer the name was suddenly changed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
John Beattie, who worked for the NHS for 10 years, organised an online petition calling for the new name to be dropped. It has now attracted 14,830 signatures.
Mr Beattie said: "The reason I have decided to organise a protest at the hospital is because the issue still resonates with so many people. We want to show them we won't let this issue go away until the hospital name reverts back to the South Glasgow University Hospital or they give the people the chance to vote on a name."
Andrew Roberston, chair of NHS GGC, has defended the rebrand saying there were concerns the South Glasgow name did not reflect the wide population area served by the new building. He has also said consulting on the change would have led to competing names and disappointment for those whose favourite was not chosen.
Opponents have raised concern about the way the new name was adopted - without any recorded discussion - and the cost of replacing signage. They have also objected to the name celebrating the monarchy, which they feel goes against the principle of creating a more equal society and misses the opportunity to celebrate a figure who has contributed to healthcare.
Mr Beattie said: "People still care because the names of public buildings are important. It is the symbolism that emanates from them. Naming the hospital after the Queen is regressive and old-fashioned and more reflective of old-fashioned Britain. We live in the 21st century. The elected officials of this city tell us 'People Make Glasgow,' yet a significant number of people from Glasgow are being ignored when expressing their outrage and disapproval of the royal name."
He added that Sir Alexander Fleming, the Scottish doctor who discovered penicillin, was a popular alternative choice. He said: "It's time we honoured our medical pioneers and heroes, not unelected, undemocratic heads of state whose existence is incompatible with the equality we strive towards in our democracy."
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