Public Hospitals North & South

Mars

Does anyone know how Irish public hospitals generally compare to public hospitals in Northern Ireland?

For example, comparing waiting lists, availability of treatments etc.

Are public hospitals on each side of the border generally considered reasonably equal; or are there well known differences in standards...?

Paddy20

Mars,

This question is not a particularly easy one. First of all there are recipricol arrangements now in place amongst Health Authorities for patients to be treated in all of this Island called Ireland, depending on the health problem in question. These new arrangements also include a fund whereby patients who can not avail of certain types of specialist treatments anywhere in Ireland, can now be sent abroad for private treatment in appropriate cases.

Can I just refer you to a brilliant website that is highly respected:- www.irishhealth.com
There you will find the best independent qualified medical advice freely available in Ireland, re: Waiting lists, etc,etc, Let us know if you manage to get satisafaction using the services available to you on that site?..

Best of luck.

P.

Mars

thanks for this, I'll check out that site.

One of the reasons why I had wondered was because I discovered a statistic which stated that in the UK about 1 in 9/10 people have private health insurance (so presumably it might be something like this in Northern Ireland).

Whereas in the Republic apparently about 1 in 2 people have private health insurance. It's interesting as to why there's such a big difference.

Paddy20

Mars,

Interesting. imho the people in the republic have once again been conned, fleeced, robbed or whatever you wish to call it. Since the British company BUPA started operating in Ireland introducing direct competition to the other old monopolistic private health insurers called VHI, matters have begun to improve.

However, if someone who is a medical card holder* is ill. they are perfectly entitled to the same treatment as private patients who are ironically treated mainly in our Public hospitals, which indicates something of a contradiction in terms re:- Private/Public.

P.;)

Mars

Even though a medical card holder may receive the same treatment once in hospital (as a private health insurance holder would), I think someone who has private health is able to skip the queue over the public patients.

So if someone needs a heart operation, it will make a big difference to that person's chances if they receive their operation within, say, 2 months than if they have to wait a year.

afaik, this is the "advantage" of private health insurance. Although it's essentially an advantage at the cost of public patients.

Paddy20

Mars,

The only thing that I can say to that is "You are correct" in fact if you are not already aware. In the North Western Health Board region of Donegal, Leitrim & Sligo, :- People suffering from Coronary Artery Disease, the number one killer disease of both males and females have too wait unbelievable periods of time before the Dublin specialist heart units can carry out vital life saving procedures on them. Unfortunately, in the interim waiting period even those that have suffered massive "Heart Attacks" or an M.I. myocardial infarction where the heart stops and damage to the muscle occurs! and the extent of the damage can not be properly assessed and immediate appropriate action taken in theatre. Then without this immediate treatment the prognosis for survival even if they have pulled through the M.I. is not good. Even patients such as these are being discharged home on medication from both Letterkenny & Sligo hospitals to await a call from a Dublin specialist heart surgeons team.
Naturally, many never see Dublin! because they die.

I am also aware that if a patient with heart problems walks in to the reception of some Dublin heart unit hospitals with a "brown envelope" the chances are they will be admitted on the spot?..even before members of VHI or BUPA, never mind the medical card holders?...

Just think about it!.

P.

Paddy20

Mars,

Just an additional quick piece of info!. I will [Reluctantly] be an in-patient in Letterkenny General Hospital, from tomorrow morning until probably Wednesday.

Please keep this very important Thread* alive, in the meantime Eh!..so that I can reply to you again from Wednesday 20th all being well.

Be lucky.

P.;)

Mars

Ok Paddy.

Good Luck! - Hope everything goes well