Private hospital for Carraroe?

mickeyfitzray

Just read this article in the Times. Anyone heard anything about it?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/1124/1224259338562.html

Essexboy

There was piece in the "Sligo Champion" earlier this month.

http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/plans-to-be-lodged-soon-for-carraroe-private-hospital-1934167.html

EuskalHerria

Anyone else see this as a bad thing?

sligono1

the one thing it would do is give much needed employment in the construction sector and lead to more employment when its up and running yet i dont think that point was portrited in a sensational type article i for think a project of this size would be good for the construction sector but who am i and this is only my oppinion

Essexboy

Ireland - and Sligo - is run by crooks and clowns and that is what people want.

A private hospital would provide jobs: so would a brothel. Would you support that?

EuskalHerria

What I take from this is the issue of our healthcare system is brought into question, certainly the direction it seems to be moving towards. There is a lot of emphasis on privatised healthcare which is seeing people forced to only feel comfortable and adequately treated in private health systems, which is a terrible thing imo. I think we should be looking at how we need to force the government to focus on improving our national health system without them allowing more and more private hospitals as being a resolution to the declining services and seeing a large figure cut off the bill within the budget by encouraging private health firms. The issue of healthcare is far more relevant now with the removal of cancer services from our hospital.
The government through their actions seem to be downgrading the hospitals for a reason. It seems a lot more people are being forced into paying a small fortune for decent healthcare, so should we try and move to secure for more private healthcare facilities or push for the focus to be put back on hospitals to be rapidly improved. If the bankers can afford to be bailed out by billions then we can surely put a plan in place that would see the hospitals improve over the next few years. Creating jobs for nurses also.
If more and more of these private hospitals are to establish themselves here then it is natural that with the health insurers, people will be urged into private healthcare and a healthcare system that exits in America will not be long establishing itself here, where the primary concern of those involved in privatised healthcare is making money and not the welfare of the patients. Hopefully the downgrading will cease in SGH, but when and why would it stop when it is going relatively unopposed at the minute?

sligono1

Essexboy wrote: »

Ireland - and Sligo - is run by crooks and clowns and that is what people want.

A private hospital would provide jobs: so would a brothel. Would you support that?

well im not into politics,or the ins and outs of how the country is ran or the ins and outs of the health care system but im sure if you went and talked to carpenters, plumbers, sparks,tilers, concrete people lorry drivers, digger drivers painters and the list goes on and asked them what they think of your remarks im sure they would be very irate,at the end of the day if there is no investment in projects like these how can we get people in this country back to work,and drag ourselves out of this depresion,but you have to see this from the side of the construction sector.in these times we have to look for the positives not the negatives.what ever has happened good or bad in the past we have to look to the betterment of the future.

Wester

sligono1 wrote: »

im sure if you went and talked to carpenters, plumbers, sparks,tilers, concrete people lorry drivers, digger drivers painters and the list goes on and asked them what they think of your remarks im sure they would be very irate,at the end of the day if there is no investment in projects like these how can we get people in this country back to work

The unfortunate thing for all these people you mention is that if we are to achieve a sustainable economic recovery then there has to be far less of an emphasis on the construction sector. After all, it accounted for a disproportionate percentage of total employment, compared to other countries, during the boom. That's no consolation for unemployed carepenters, brick layers etc. but it's reality, and returning the construction sector to peak levels is not the solution. Furthermore, as the Irish Times article outlined, private hospitals are developed at a cost to the taxpayer, in terms of capital grants etc. and in the current environment, that should be a nonrunner. I can empahtize with those that have lost their jobs, but making policy for specific circumstances, i.e. funding inappropriate infrastructure so a few jobs can be given out, results in bad policy.

Essexboy

At the same meeting, the councillors voted not to allow a development in Carraroe, a development which promised several jobs.
http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/sligo-has-said-no-to-investment-and-jobs-1934172.html

The councillors' concern is not for the plain people but for the chamber of commerce. Having failed to deliver a shopping centre for the town, they will not allow anyone else try.

sligono1

Essexboy wrote: »

At the same meeting, the councillors voted not to allow a development in Carraroe, a development which promised several jobs.
http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/sligo-has-said-no-to-investment-and-jobs-1934172.html

The councillors' concern is not for the plain people but for the chamber of commerce. Having failed to deliver a shopping centre for the town, they will not allow anyone else try.

i will agree with you on the chamber of commerce they have blocked a serious amount of developent over the years,what will be the killing of the retail park in carraroe is their terms and conditions of the type of unit and the goods that can be sold.
what ever happened to Tesco's proposed plan to move out there was that shot down.

EuskalHerria

Essexboy wrote: »

The councillors' concern is not for the plain people but for the chamber of commerce. Having failed to deliver a shopping centre for the town, they will not allow anyone else try.

I don't think that is true tbh. Nobody except for a certain few politicians and those with vested interests in the chamber of clowns would look out for those trying to preserve the lack of competition in the Town. The reason I think that there is a continuing blockage of this recurring reuest is the fact that moving these facilities outside of the town is bad in the long run. Taking people away from the certain of town is never a good idea. If you want people to spend money and invest it into the local business then you have to get them into the centre of the town and the only thing that will attract them is, if these businesses are brought and kept in the centre of the town. Surely it is better for jobs in the long run to be attrcting people to the center of town and a variety of shops rather than pushing them away from the town centre?

mickeyfitzray

It's true that the reason they gave at the meeting was because there was empty units in the town centre that they wanted to see used. However, those units are simply not big enough to attract the kind of development needed. It would be great to keep business in the centre of the town but better out in the retail park than nowhere.

bridgitt

I have been to Sligo a lot, and there are plenty of brown field sites / redevelopment sites in or close to the town, which could and should be redeveloped. The developers knew when they were building those warehouses a few miles away at Carraroe that that was all would ever be allowed there, and even they have not gone too well, judging by the amount of units which have become vacant up there, and the mostly empty car park. The ground should have been left to soak up rainwater, rather than all that tarmac and concrete wasted up there. I believe Dunnes have planning permission got for a huge new store and multi-storey car park in town close to the inner relief road anyway.

tedshredsonfire

The area down by the books timber yard and its surrounds is an obvious area to redevelop before out of town. You could then easily walk betwenn quayside and town centre and haver the grocery shops just to hand as well and lets face it treasury plan in wine street car park is not going to happen.

Son Of A Vidic

I remember living in London and reading about all these wonderful plans for Sligo from the treasury plan etc. I said to myself ''Jaysus, Sligo is fairly changing'' - still waiting. No thanks to the Chamber of Mafia...er ooopps I meant Commerce.

EuskalHerria

mickeyfitzray wrote: »

It's true that the reason they gave at the meeting was because there was empty units in the town centre that they wanted to see used. However, those units are simply not big enough to attract the kind of development needed. It would be great to keep business in the centre of the town but better out in the retail park than nowhere.

What else would the reason be for the continuous objection? and not all councillors have the interests of the council of clowns at heart. To allow them to move out to carraroe is short sighted, a complete tunnel vision that is bad for jobs in the long run. It is not a handy cop out for the councillors.
Moving business away from the town centre, especially businesses that will be so attractive to potential customers is bad in the long run, simple as. The focus must remain on developing the town centre and attract industry and business there first.

Anyway I think this is off topic from the initial thread topic. We are slowly moving towards privatised healthcare and the thought of that is chilling. If people think the mess we call the HSE is bad, then imagine private hospitals and health insurers who have no motivation other than financial gain and not patient welfare.

For whats its worth or if it will be watched by anyone, this is a documentary by michael moore (quite an egotistical man, but makes very valid points) about the american privatised healthcare system and compared to the systems of healthcare which is better around the world such as the UK, french and cuban health systems and even the system for guantanemo bay prisoners.

This is the trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlDAUKSh9CQ

Watch the film legally here.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5186750007944385887&ei=yUMPS-OCIpPQ-AbblLSXBg&q=sicko

mickeyfitzray

Re-development of units closer to town may be ideal but hardly likely in this climate. Who's going to pay for it?

And I agree with you on the Chamber of Commerce but they're not the only ones to blame. Petty decisions by the Council have held this town back for a long time. And now they've gone and taken pedestrianisation and the eastern bridge out of the draft development plan seriously jeopardising €4million in funds in the process.

http://sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=6804&PHPSESSID=f19f91dcc667ebf47f398e2f76854f9e

mickeyfitzray

Sorry EuskalHerria... I posted the last reply without seeing yours. Yes this is getting off topic and I do agree with you as far as privatisation of health is concerned.

Sorry for going off topic again but can you tell me how development in Carraroe would be bad for jobs in the future? I would love to see development in the town centre but at the moment there's no money.

Essexboy

Yes, back on topic.

Why is a second private hospital planned when the existing one - Garden Hill - cut back on its services and slashed staff numbers?
http://archives.tcm.ie/sligoweekender/2009/01/20/story37342.asp
and Mount Carmel who own Garden Hill have the contract for the "co-located" hospital in Sligo.

If there is insufficient demand for one how can two survive? Unless the rundown of services and facilities at SGH continues.

Son Of A Vidic

Accreditation is the key word in Private healthcare today, it is also a very important criteria being set down by large insurers. Gardenhill has recently acheived this prestigious international health care standard, so fairplay to them. Any new hospital will have a very testing time trying to reach this standard and it will take at least several years to do so.

GG66

anyone know where the 16 acre site mentioned at carraroe is located?

dardevle

GG66 wrote: »

anyone know where the 16 acre site mentioned at carraroe is located?

.not 100% sure..... but i do know that the purported developers own the land where the old pitch and putt used to be (lotta years back):o, that would be the island of land between the dual carrage way and the old dublin road.



.

GG66

that's most likely it so, thanks