Enda Kenny and Brian Walsh and the broken promises they made to the Hospice

Sponge Bob

I was reminded of these promises again by this piece in the Tribune. The piece leaves a few things unsaid but i am not under any constraint personally so I'll say them instead.

Lets go back to March 2012 shall we.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/24857-taoiseach-support-key-sorting-funds-hospice

Taoiseach support key to sorting funds for hospice

March 20, 2012 - 7:00am Interim plan will add six new beds


BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM


At a meeting last week,(March 2012) An Taoiseach reiterated his personal commitment that he would honour the dying wish of former Connacht Tribune Group editor John Cunningham – to resolve the financial difficulties of the hospice.
And local Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh said following the meeting with Enda Kenny and Health Minister last week, he is “confident” that the issues facing the hospice will be sorted.

That "personal commitment" referred to was a promise made by Enda Kenny to John Cunningham IN THE HOSPICE ITSELF as he lay dying.

Enda Cunningham knows because Enda is Johns son and Enda Cunningham was there when Enda Kenny made that promise.

The problem in Galway Hospice is that it has to dip into the funds it has saved for a new building/new beds in order to maintain existing services and Enda Kenny promised that something would be done to fund the new BUILDING from HSE money.....the Hospice costs a lot less to run than the same number of beds would cost in a hospital you see and the Hospice is to a large extent funded locally...NOT by the HSE.

No sooner had the news spread that Enda Kenny made this promise to someone on his death bed than someone else jumped on the bandwagon.

And local Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh said following the meeting with Enda Kenny and Health Minister last week, he is “confident” that the issues facing the hospice will be sorted.

Now lets roll forward to the present. Where is that Brian Walsh right now and what exactly has he done in the past year. ??? Nothing it seems.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/30458-taoiseach-reneges-promise-help-galway-hospice

Taoiseach reneges on promise to help Galway Hospice

Last February, Mr Kenny said he would honour the dying wish of former Connacht Tribune editor John Cunningham – who had been a director of Galway Hospice Foundation – and ensure ongoing funding shortfalls were sorted out and provide capital funding for an expansion.


It was a renewal of a commitment he had given to Mr Cunningham some three months earlier when he visited him at his hospice bed.
However, Sean O’Healy, Chief Executive of Galway Hospice said this week: “A lot of people that heard that commitment given by Enda Kenny are dead now.”


He said he is still battling a potential cut of up between 1.6% and 5% in funding by the HSE for 2013 – which effectively imposes a threat of bed closures at the 12-bed inpatient facility

And on the very same day over in Dicey Reilly land.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/30469-plans-75-bed-ward-block-uhg

plans have been lodged for a 75-bed, three-storey ward block at University Hospital Galway.

Which will cost many millions, and certainly many millions more than the hospice ever asked for.

Maybe the 75 bed ward block is what Brian Walsh was actually campaigning for all along, in which case well done Brian. But as far as I know there are plenty of spare beds in closed wards in that hospital and in Merlin Park already. I cannot recall anything that Brian Walsh ever did to reopen them either.

Iwannahurl

It's a great pity that Galway Hospice has had such a troubled history.

They provide marvellous, and much-needed, palliative and terminal care services on an in-patient and home care basis, which in my opinion is far preferable to dying in a public ward.

ratracer

Of all the other broken promises Enda Kenny and his band of merry men have made, they have always blamed the other crowd, saying 'oh we didn't realise the full extent of the situation/service/debt/whatever' blady blaa blaa.

In this instance however, Enda Kenny made a personel promise to a dying man, and his local stooge was happy to play along with it, and now both of them appear to have happily dismissed this. What should be a remarkable legacy to the bravery and conviction John Cunningham showed, even in sickness, has been tarnished by gob****e politicians who want nothing more than favourable column inches and photos opportunities.

Shame on them

Sponge Bob

Of course if Brian Walsh were a man of principle he would ask the Taoiseach to apologise, in Dáil Éireann, for the personal promise he has already broken as well as ask him to belatedly address the issue straight away.

There is nothing to stop Brian Walsh acting, just this once, on principle. I wouldn't be comfortable with him making a habit of it all the same.

doubleglaze

A relative of mine passed away in the hospice. She would have been in unbearable pain for the last months of her life were it not for the treatment she received in the hospice - treatments that can ONLY be administered in a hospice.

For instance, she had to be given particular painkilling medications - intravenously/ orally/ in suppository form - a half an hour or so before she could be moved or turned in the bed and constantly throughout the day and even throughout the night.

Some day, it may be your turn or mine to die of an illness that requires Galway hospice care. We need to ensure it stays adequately funded.

The consequences of not doing so are truly dire...

mightdomighty

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Of course if Brian Walsh were a man of principle he would ask the Taoiseach to apologise, in Dáil Éireann, for the personal promise he has already broken as well as ask him to belatedly address the issue straight away.

There is nothing to stop Brian Walsh acting, just this once, on principle. I wouldn't be comfortable with him making a habit of it all the same.

Totally agree that he should push for the Taoiseach to address the issue but I think any effort to seek an apology is a waste of time. I think an apology wouldn't mean much to anyone who is in palliative care

snubbleste

So Enda Cunningham has another piece today..

Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh said yesterday (Wednesday): “It’s definitely going to happen. The Hospice will get the funding for the six extra beds as an interim measure before they move to a Greenfield site.
“A proper funding model will be put in place for the ongoing provision of services and will put the Hospice on a comparable basis to other hospices around the country for the first time. I’m certain it will happen," he said.
http://www.galwaynews.ie/30943-taoiseach-commits-additional-galway-hospice-funding

G Power

my Mum spent some time in the hospice herself but sadly couldn't fight it any longer, they provide such a respectful service down there and this kind of blatant abuse of serious situations and dying wishes shouldn't be put up with by anymore.

some of you may be interested in this weekly march happening at the Cathedral every Sun, it seems some of you may have had enough of politicians guff, third week happening this Sunday

power to the people

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Galway-weekly-march-in-solidarity-with-everyone-suffering/370349299746002

fishy fishy

snubbleste wrote: »

So Enda Cunningham has another piece today..

all mouth - no action? What good is saying it will definitely happen - WHEN? Get off your ass and MAKE it happen.