Gordon Browns call for free Africa healthcare

LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) Gordon Browns across Britain are calling for leaders of rich nations to help African countries abolish healthcare fees when the G8 meets in Germany next month.

In a publicity stunt, charity Save the Children has dispatched a car to travel round the country and find 840 people with the same name as Britain's next prime minister.

Save the Children is campaigning for the G8 to pay for the abolition of healthcare fees in Africa and hopes by getting all the Gordon Browns in Britain to sign up, it might influence the Brown in government.

''We've written to every single Gordon Brown and we've got 30 so far who have got back to us and pledged support,'' said Vikki Taylor, media officer at Save the Children.

She said Chancellor Brown, who will take over as prime minister on June 27 when Tony Blair resigns, had been sent a letter but had not yet responded.

When Britain was G8 president in 2005, Brown and Blair pushed leaders to promise to double aid to Africa by 2010 and wipe out more than 40 billion dollars of poor nations' debt.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, holder of the G8 presidency, has pledged to press rich nations to fulfil aid promises and is pushing to boost Aids prevention in Africa.

Some of the Gordon Browns have posted videos on a Save the Children Web site, http://www1.savethechildrengordon.org.uk/.

''I'm Gordon Brown and I live in Devon and I say 'Yes' to free healthcare for children in poor countries,'' said Brown.

REUTERS SS VC2001