I have worked as a GP for 20 years in primary care.

I believe the only reason the NHS in Scotland has stayed true to its founding principles is that since 2007 Scotland's government has reaffirmed its commitment to a publicly provided service with a focus on mutuality - both public and NHS staff as owners and partners, not users and providers.

In other words, Scotland has rejected the marketing and privatisation of the health service that is happening in NHS England on an industrial scale.

We have defended our collective rights that are based on social solidarity to receive healthcare irrespective of social class and ability to pay. Compassion for and commitment to this great public institution is central to all of our health and wellbeing.

NHS England is currently being sold off, bit by bit, to multiple private companies via legislation (Health and Social Care Act 2012) that has blown open the NHS to the commercial market.

But that is disguised as measures designed to improve health outcomes and the delivery of health services, with an apparent increase in total funds designated for healthcare: the total includes massive profits.

These changes are aligned with an international trade agreement known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and are destroying the fabric of the NHS.

Many people do not yet see how our devolved health service in Scotland is already being steadily undermined by Westminster promotion and support for the same private healthcare providers in Scotland. Devolution is not enough to protect our fairer NHS in Scotland.

Most people in the rest of the UK are envious of our Scottish NHS, and urge us to keep it. Devolution cannot do that.

Devolution simply cannot fully protect the NHS. If there is a No vote, we may well be forced to follow in the steps of NHS England in the great big NHS sell-off because no Scottish Government can conjure up magic and continue to defend the NHS in the face of budget restrictions across the piece.

GPs will either have to become commissioners or become employed by commissioning groups. They will find themselves in direct competition with each other and other external providers but this also means that GP services can fail if the market changes or practices are faced with insurmountable financial challenges.

There will be a lucrative sell-off to other providers e.g. pharma companies, supermarkets and then decreasing budgets resulting in sinkbowl practices/patients/postcodes.

This almost certainly will not result in increased choice or control for patients. The reality is that corporate (not patient) interests will drive healthcare and there is evidence already of the breakdown of this process in NHS England that has resulted in cuts to staffing levels, poor accountability and lack of access to services in the community .

There are many pressure groups trying to shed light on the tactics of the UK government in its headlong rush to privatise the health service in England but sadly, in my view, it is too late for them.

The greatest challenge to the provision of healthcare today is presented by an ageing population with complex health needs as health inequalities widen (the cause of health inequalities broadly exist outside of health) and budgets shrink.

At the other end of the age spectrum is the challenge of providing the best possible start in a health context to our youngest patients and their families. A robust NHS primary care system is the cornerstone to meeting our population healthcare needs, ensuring positive health outcomes and health equity.

We are not 'better together' in this UK family because we do not have equal, independent voices, as any strong partnership must have. It is a dysfunctional family unit and Scotland is insecurely attached to Westminster politics.

The consequences of insecure attachment have a negative impact on our long term health, educational and economic potential. We must reject policies that are divisive and perpetuate the cycle of poor health outcomes linked to adverse life circumstances.

We now have a unique opportunity to follow a different path - promoting health and wellbeing in a health service that is itself in good health and aligned with other policies that have at their heart equity and fairness that we all benefit from.

It is time for Scotland to get off the naughty step and step confidently into our independence. It is not a step into the unknown - we have years of experience and all the ingenuity needed to solve problems and address challenges.

There might be a few wobbly episodes but we will walk forwards with purpose stronger together in an independent Scotland, knowing that our publicly funded health service and economic strength will allow us to still provide universal healthcare that is free at the point of need.

Dr Anne Mullin is a GP in Glasgow and a member of NHS for Yes. No fee was paid for this article.