This morning/afternoon.

Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Health, Stephen Donnelly TD with FF Seanad Leader Senator Catherine Ardagh (pic 2) outlines his strategy to save the HSE.

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

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15 thoughts on “Beds For All

  1. Liam Deliverance

    I will not be voting FF but if they do get into gov and Donnelly does become Min Health it will be interesting to see if this man of substance, according to him, can actually follow through and make a difference. I had a lot of time and respect for him once upon a time even if it was only for bringing a little common sense to where there was none when he was a Social Democrat. He talks a big game anyway, no pressure Stephen, but be prepared to be mercilessly slated if you can’t live up to your own hype. Health needs fixing today, not 5 years from now when you are ready to move on to something else.

  2. Ronan

    The answer to waiting lists is not buying private theatre hours, it’s expanding the public system.

    One one hand, they want to hire more nurses and add beds, on the other they want to hand money to private hospitals and consultants.

    Why? Because this money wasting sounds better than hiring more well paid consultants into the public system, or dealing with the structural issue that a waiting list actually represents. It’s the equivalent of using agency nurses to open beds.

    More Capital Expenditure into equipment and facilities, and compete for consultants by restoring pay.

    However, this is a reflection of Joe Public, who think:
    – Waiting Lists = Bad
    – Trolleys = Bad
    – Long drives to hospital = Bad
    – More Nurses = Good
    – More Nurse Pay = Good
    – High paid consultants = Bad, how dare they earn more than me.
    – Centres of Excellence = Bad, I should have under-utilised equipment on my door step

    1. ReproBertie

      When James O’Reilly was in charge of Health he reduced the waiting lists by providing funding for procedures to be undertaken by the private sector. As soon as the money to fund that ran out the waiting lists grew again.

      If the money had been spent on improving the public health service then the facilities may have been provided to tackle the waiting lists but it seems any money given to the health service just gets thrown into the black hole and nothing changes.

      1. Cian

        The problem is that there is a waiting list now. There are people waiting for an operation today.

        If you invest money now in (re)opening wards, and hiring more staff, and all the facilities needed, then you aren’t solving today’s problem. The people on the list today will still be on the list in 12 or 18 months when you eventually get the facilities ready…along with thousands of other people that will be added to the list. So your new facility will be swamped with people on day 1. The cases will be mush harder to deal with because the people will have been waiting so long.

        The national treatment purchase fund is ‘only’ €55 million of the €16 billions spent on HSE. There is room for both. But you are right that money needs to spent on improving the public health service.

  3. V

    Ok with the NTPF and opening up more beds
    That makes sense and better use of facilities we already have
    although it is putting more money into Consultants pockets – most of them already holding Irish Hospital Consultants contracts – it does eat into the waiting lists

    but that promise to hire 4,000 more nurses is a load of vital essence
    it’ll never happen

    they can’t fill the vacancies they have
    nor is there the housing, family supports (childcare schools etc) and transport infrastructure or capacity around major hospitals and tertiary centres to accommodate an increased workforce that earn less than 80k a year

    And this is 4,000 more nurses in addition to the compliment required by the new NCH

    Cloud cuckoo land

  4. Andrew

    5 million home help hours. There’s a figure plucked from thin air. He’s a spoofer who joined the gangster party. No time for him at all

  5. Kolmo

    Why does it say The Republican Party under Fianna Fáil banner..they are a corporatist party, just like the other cheek of the same botty. Greasy spoofers, unfortunately we have a remarkably easy to spoof voter base.

  6. Broadbag

    Pie in the sky nonsense at a level usually reserved for the SF and PBP moneyfestos. 4,000 new nurse hires? Guff!

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