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Over the last few days I have been appalled by the comments coming from sections of the US media deriding our national health care system. Obama campaigned and won an election calling for reform of the US health care system where nearly 50 million people have no health care cover. The will of the American people should be acted on not de-railed by the business lobby and right-wing media.

The NHS is a pillar of our society of which we are proud. The NHS is a world class health system, providing care with no cost at point of access. I have seen first hand the difference that the NHS has made, caring for my grandparents and for my cousin who was born with a hole in her heart. The NHS is there for us, and our families, in times of need.

While I have been shocked by the tone of the debate in America, I have been impressed by the rallying support of the British people, getting behind our NHS. I added my support to the “#welovethenhs” feed on Twitter, and think that Gordon Brown’s statement captured the mood: “NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there.”

The debate has made me even more proud to be standing in Leeds West for the party that created the NHS, and still strives for a comprehensive social safety net that leaves no-one behind.