Tackling Health Problems

star gazer

It would appear that with the smoking ban taking over so much of the Minister for health's time there is no room for managing the health services. An influenza outbreak is hitting the Dublin area according to the nurses organisation and is going to get worse. approximately 140 people have been stuck on trolleys near A&E departments in hospitals, mostly in Dublin. What has the Minister done to solve problems in health? Beds have been closed and action on health reform has been stalled and delayed until a myriad of reports were published, three in particular, Prospectus, Brennan and Hanly reports. They were known to the Minister since before the Summer. However we have seen no action on these reports. So far we have just another implementation committee being set-up.
EU manpower regulations mean that junior doctors will have to work shorter weeks. Charlie McCreevy says that there won't be huge resources open to the Health department next year. If the health services aren't able to fulfil their function effectively in A&E departments now, how, without big resources is trhe minister going to square the circle? We have problems, we need actions. People say the smoking ban is an important health issue, it is but the difficulties of the entire health services are more important. Let's see some action.

Villain

Totally agree, Mr Rabbite raised this in the Dail this week but got no decent reply.

I know personally of a case yesterday where a man in the Carlow area had a stroke and was taken by ambulance to Kilkenny, he was then mean to be trasnferred to Beaumount but there WAS NO BED for him so he remains in Kilkenny.

What really sickens me is that any time anyone asks the Government a question on this issue they just throw figures in your face about how much there spending has increased.

I couldn't give a flying feck how much there spending, the results are not happening. The book stops with the Minister so he should be insuring that the problem is resolved or go and let someone who will takle the job take over.

You can spend all the money in the world but if its not managed correctly then your at nothing!!

star gazer

Minister Michael Smith now seems to be contradicting the Taoiseach who said that everyone in the cabinet supported all of the Hanly report. Smith said he couldn't agree with the part that downsized his local hospital in Nenagh. *all politics is local* Still it makes it hard to see a strong implementation of the Hanly report or possibly any strong health reform package. Let's see some leadership!