January 5.

The decision by the Receiver to sell the Health Care International

hospital in Clydebank to an Abu Dhabi consortium seems to have been

taken (January 4).

The price will be that of the bargain basement, probably about

one-fifth of the original cost, a goodly part of which was contributed

by British taxpayers from money allocated to the Secretary of State for

Scotland to be used for the benefit of Scotland.

This decision was justified by Tony Worthington, MP, on the basis that

the ''acute services strategy produced by Greater Glasgow Health Board

shows how impossible it would be to graft this hospital on to the NHS''

(January 4).

Why do not our local Labour MPs effectively challenge the GGHB on this

inflexible policy, a policy which will deny the people of Scotland an

up-to-date facility which is surely within their grasp? Instead, wealthy

people from the Middle East will enjoy this modern hospital while folks

around here have to accept less adequate hospital facilities.

Is this now official Labour Party policy? It would be appreciated if

Tony Worthington, or Sam Galbraith, or economist Alf Young would

explain, in some detail, why the policy now being followed is in the

best interest of our people.

Andrew R C Hamilton,

26 Forth Road,

Torrance.