Category: Government

The poor should be worried

Letter published in the Irish Times 19th February – The Harneyisation of Irish health continues.

Madam,

GPs have received a letter from the consultants and nursing staff of the emergency department at Beaumont Hospital. The letter states:

“The [ emergency] department is in urgent need of an ultrasound machine which is required to speedily assess internal organ damage resulting from traffic accidents and knife trauma wounds.” And with commendable forbearance the letter observes: “It would be reasonable to assume that the machine would be a standard piece of A&E equipment.”

However, it appears there is no money for it. So the A&E staff are going on to the streets to beg for the money – €24,000 – to buy the machine. They hope to raise it through a golf classic or, for non-golfers, by a one-off donation of €100.

This is a scandal. A scandal for Bertie Ahern. A scandal for Mary Harney. A scandal for the HSE. A scandal for the Government. A scandal for the limp Opposition. And a scandal for the local politicians. Here is a major trauma centre in a national hospital having to get down on its knees to beg for basic equipment.

The poor should be worried. And so, may I say, should the rich. If you have a knife stuck between your shoulder-blades, it is no time to go flashing your Plan E card at the Gullawntha Medical Clinic with the oak tree in the atrium and three ladies playing the harp. You will be redirected to the public hospital and advised to have a nice day.

Repeatedly, general practitioners hear praise from patients for the staff at Beaumont A&E. They comment on the courtesy and care of the doctors, nurses and ancillary staff. And this in spite of the squalor and overcrowding provided by the Government.

The Harneyisation of the Irish medical scene is becoming more and more vivid. Wealth is further swelling the wallets of the wealthy. Mary Harney’s relocation system means that millions upon millions of euro are being relocated from the taxpayers’ pocket into the insatiable pockets of the earnestly rich.

Her plan is clear.The poor will please keep left and know their place. The richly insured will please head for the (very far) right.
Would Ms Harney please write a cheque today for €24,000 for that ultrasound machine in Beaumont? If she has difficulty in getting that sum together she might perhaps consult her friends who have special talents in the art of subtle acquisition.

Yours, etc,

Dr CYRIL DALY,

Howth Road, Killester, Dublin 5.

Loyalty to the party is supreme

The parents, friends and supporters of autistic children who packed the public gallery in Dail Eireann last week enthusiastically applauded Fianna Fail TD Mary O’Rourke when she severely criticised the Department of Education for failing to provide adequate education for autistic children (Irish Times, sub req’d).

O’Rourke was speaking on a Fine Gael private members’ motion calling on the Government to provide a badly needed Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) system for autistic children.

Her fine sentiments were quickly exposed as weasel words when she cynically voted against the motion she had just supported. That the motion would be defeated was never in doubt so O’Rourke was voting in her own interests and that of her party rather than any concern for autistic children.

Her cynicism was compounded over the weekend when she featured on a number of radio shows emoting about how she was haunted about the tragic death of a nephew as a result of autism. But even the death of her nephew from autism wasn’t sufficient to shake O’Rourke’s absolute dedication to the party.

Marian Finucane (Sunday) expressed puzzlement about this behaviour, here’s how O’Rourke answered (My emphasis).

O’Rourke – Ah Marian, can you look at me and say ‘you’re puzzled’ that I voted with my party?

Marian – But you tend to be fairly straight about things.

O’Rourke, Well, I am and I’m very straight, I’ve never voted against my party and I don’t intend to do so.

Marian – But straight also includes voting for your convictions

O’Rourke – Oh Marian, actions speak louder than words. I have worked for ABA now for many years, I intend to continue to work.

If I left my party, first of all one vote wouldn’t have made any difference…what influence would I have outside my party to influence party policy…I tell the truth and I speak from knowledge and from my mind…So to those who say why didn’t she vote with the Fine Gael motion? – I will never vote against my own party.

This blind dedication to the party is reminiscent of Soviet style politics. Loyalty to the party and the party leader takes precedence over all other considerations.

What’s truly amazing about this latest episode of political hypocrisy is the revelation that there are still people out there who trust and believe in politicians like O’Rourke. People who still believe that cowardly hypocrites like O’Rourke retain any semblance of integrity or honesty.

Queen of hypocrisy is not amused

There was a curious exchange between Marian Finucane and Fianna Fail TD Mary O’Rourke on last Sunday’s show. The discussion concerned O’Rourke’s hypocritical stance regarding the Fine Gael private members’ motion calling on the Government to provide better resources for autistic children.

Marian referred to the following letter published in the Irish Times on Friday 15th Feb.

Madam,

Can there be anything more illuminating about the “sleeveen” politics of Fianna Fáil than to see Mary O’Rourke TD stand up and play to a packed Dáil public gallery claiming she supported parents having the choice of ABA for their special needs children, only to then go and vote against the Fine Gael motion that would have given those parents exactly the choice Mary O’Rourke claimed to support a short time earlier?

For sheer brass neck and hypocrisy you just can’t beat Fianna Fáil and for sheer stupidity you can’t beat the people who, despite this, will still go out and vote for Fianna Fáil.
Yours, etc,

DESMOND FITZGERALD, Canary Wharf, London.

The discussion continued;

Marian – Did you see the letter in the Irish Times during the week?

O’Rouke – I did and I know that man and I would prefer to say no more because, well, I’ll tell you after…

Marian – He was talking about the ‘sleeveen politics’ of Fianna Fail

O’Rourke – Did you notice the signature?

Marian – Yes, I did

O’Rourke – Yes, indeed.

This ‘Yes, indeed’ was delivered in a sniffy Queen Victoria ‘We are not amused’ tone.

I have no idea what the connection is between the author of the letter and O’Rourke but clearly the Queen of Hypocrisy is not amused by such impertinence.

Embarrassed to be Irish

On the same news broadcast (3rd item) that Bertie Ahern informed the nation that he was proud for himself and Ireland to be asked to address a joint sitting of the US Congress a mother of an autistic child angrily said that she was embarrassed to be Irish (7th item).

Embarrassed and I would add confused because this woman was referring to the surreal world of Irish politics where a school for autistic children has remained idle for a year because the Health Service Executive has refused to provide the necessary staff.

The Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, instead of doing her job by putting pressure on the HSE to provide staff has blamed the school for not going ahead and opening anyway.

Nothing to do with the HSE, nothing to do with the Minister – it’s the school’s fault.

Bertie the bomb

It has been obvious for some time now that Bertie Ahern has something to hide. Nobody with an ounce of intelligence, with the possible exception of Martin Mansergh, could believe otherwise,

But Bertie’s High Court strategy can have only one meaning – It can only mean that he has something really big to hide, something so big that he is willing to risk everything on one roll of the High Court dice.

Meanwhile, the Greens continue to insist that the bomb ticking away beside them is none of their concern. It’s a personal matter for Bertie, it’s a matter for his lawyers; it’s a matter for the tribunal.

They’re unlikely to survive the explosion.

Cystic Fibrosis update

Godfrey Fletcher of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland provided an update regarding the provision of emergency isolation units for CF suffers (Liveline, 8th Feb).

The organisation hopes to present proposals for a ten bed temporary portacabin to St. Vincent’s hospital in about two weeks. Plans are also in the pipeline for a ten bed unit in Beaumont hospital and another ten bed unit in Galway.

The HSE has committed to six single on suite bed units and are considering another 17. Mr. Fletcher warns, however, that the HSE has not confirmed that all these units will be ring fenced for CF patients.

Jennifer Tormey, one of the young CF patients who first brought their disgraceful plight to public attention said she would believe it when she saw action rather than words. Nobody can blame her untrusting attitude after years of broken promises by the HSE. She is also mourning the death of a close friend, 15 year old Ian Riley, who died last week from CF.

The letter below was taken from the Liveline website and speaks for itself.

Bernadette spoke to us on Tuesday 15th January 2008. Below is a transcript of the email she originally sent to Liveline.

Dear Joe,

First and foremost I want to thank you so much for the coverage you have given CF patients over the last few days. Unfortunately, after years of listening to the same thing over and over again, I have absolutely no faith in the HSE or in Mary Harney and am not holding out any hope that anything will be done.

I am 24 years old and have cystic fibrosis. I am currently an inpatient in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin for a severe chest infection. I have been here since the 2 January and there has been no significant improvement in my condition. I have been informed that my disease is progressing and I won’t be able to regain the level of health that I had 6-12 months ago.

Transplant has also been put on the agenda. I can’t put into words how absolutely devastated I am-as a CF patient you make the best of everything and try to ignore the statistics that are staring you in the face, but when it is spelled out for you it is truly awful. Every day is a massive effort now as I struggle to fight and maintain the exhaustive regime of treatment I must undergo which involves oral, nebulised and intravenous antibiotics, physiotherapy, nutritional supplements (and possibly having a feeding tube inserted) and oxygen.

The constant stream of anger and indignation in the media must start to sound confusing to the everyday person as there is such a massive web of problems for us within the services and facilities we are offered. However I just wanted to add my piece and get it off my chest. Here are a few points that I feel are important.

En-suite rooms are NOT A LUXURY, they are a basic need.

Firstly, as has been pointed out lots of times in the last few days, going into the current mixed and cramped conditions in Vincent’s is extremely dangerous for CF patients. We are at a low with infection and are open to any bugs flying around. These bugs can spiral out of control and could kill us. That is a fact. It is not as if we are looking for some kind of luxury-we are just looking for the basic and necessary treatment for cystic fibrosis which is recognised as international best practice. We NEED isolation units with en-suites and we need them now.

Intensely depressing scenario regarding conditions

It is hard to describe how truly soul destroying it is to be put in a ward with 5 patients who are elderly and often senile and incontinent. I make a concerted effort each day to be strong and positive and to fight my illness, but just imagine trying to maintain this frame of mind when you are stuck in your bed because of o2xygen dependency while all around people are calling out for people who aren’t there, and are regularly soiling their beds or using a bedpan, making the smell in the ward unbearable. It is so horribly depressing.

May I also point out that the ward is where the meals are served. Would you eat your dinner in a public toilet? Because that is basically what I am expected to do EVERY DAY. Sometimes all I want is a bit of peace and quiet and maybe to curl up in a comfortable place on my own. Even this simple desire is not possible in here. Each time someone dies in your room you are forcibly confronted with the reality that someday this could be you. What did I do to deserve this? Do I not have the right to be protected from this?

Mary Harney’s private hospital “solution” and staffing levels.

Although all the coverage has been about the lack of facilities, it is important to note that the staffing levels are also dangerously inadequate. If you refer to the report on CF services in Ireland conducted by Dr. Ron Pollock this is stated quite clearly. However whenever the issue of cystic fibrosis is raised with Mary Harney, she tells of how funding has been allocated for new staff. While some funding has been allocated and there are now two consultants in St Vincent’s, all the consultants in the world won’t be able to get me a bed when I need it if it is not available, and they can’t magic isolation units out of thin air. If the problem is to be tackled extra staff alone will not alleviate our situation.

Also Mary Harney’s idea of freeing up public beds by building private hospitals does not help CF patients at all. While it MAY mean a shorter stay in A&E, which, I might add, is a ridiculously dangerous situation, it does not address the issue of single isolated room with en-suite, which are VITAL. I want some answers. Why is this allowed to continue? Would Mary Harney like to step into my shoes for a day? I don’t think so.

As I write this, my 6 bed room has finally quietened down, but I’m sure that I can look forward to some noise later on. Here’s hoping for a good nights sleep.

I also want to say that despite all of this mess, the CF team and the staff of St Vincent’s hospital are nothing short of amazing, and I feel so lucky to have them looking after me. I couldn’t ask for any better, each and every one of them is just fantastic.

Yours Sincerely,

Bernadette

Story from RTÉ Radio 1:
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/1182265.html

Previous posts here and here.

Passport letters

Reply to passport letter in Irish Times.

Madam,

Anthony Sheridan (February 7th) laments that our parliamentarians operate a fast-track system for passport applications to do favours for constituents. But the sad reality is that last year they processed only 6,200 applications in total – an average of 27 passports each or 2.5 per month.

Meanwhile, according to radio advertisements, TV licence inspectors carry out 18,000 raids every month and the Automobile Association rescues 16,000 stranded motorists.

Our parliamentarians are paid huge salaries but in terms of productivity and competitiveness, they fall well behind the standards set in the current National Agreement. The passport rescue service should be handed over to an efficient, rapid-response unit like the AA, or a “you-can’t-fool-us” outfit like the TV inspectors.

Our TDs could then focus on really important tasks such as going to funerals, sending out free Christmas cards and flying off on fact-finding missions to far-flung exotic locations. Parliamentary democracy, Irish-style, deserves no less.

Yours, etc,
JERRY CROWLEY

Tammany Hall passports – Update

I phoned the Passports Office today to enquire about an email I had sent some days ago in relation to the special passport scheme operated by TDs.

A very professional lady accepted my point that perhaps details of the service should be published on the Passports Office website so that all citizens can avail of the service. She also assured me that a reply to my email was forthcoming.

I’m still waiting for word from David Stanton on those Dail questions.

A developer friendly administration

The mafia like operations of management companies continues to cause grief for residents of estates and apartments (See here for analysis).

On last Tuesday’s Liveline (58th min) three residents of an apartment complex told their stories. Here’s a summary.

Received a bill for €2,037, last years bill was €1,400.

Reason for increase – Unoccupied apartments owned by the developer and Dublin City Council were not bringing in funds so the residents had to make up the shortfall. The developers are holding onto the apartments until the property market improves.

The board of directors of the management company is made up of the developers.

When the resident questioned the bill it was admitted an error had been made and the bill was reduced to €1,800.

When the resident contacted Liveline the bill was further reduced to €1,550, a figure that had originally been agreed between the company and the resident.

The residents own the properties and are paying massive mortgages but have little or no control or rights in how the management companies operate.

The management companies are totally unregulated.

The Government has been promising for years that they will enact legislation to regulate these people.

This government is a developer friendly administration.

Tammany Hall passport service

The following letter published here and here.

The controversy surrounding the help given by Bertie Ahern to businessman Norman Turner in obtaining an Irish passport has revealed the existence of a separate passport service operated by TDs from Dail Eireann for the benefit of their constituents.

I understand the system operates as follows. TDs collect passport documents from constituents and deposit them in a drop box at the Enquiries Desk of the Dail. They are then collected by courier and taken to the Passport Office where they are processed at a specially designated desk. A number of civil servants are on call to deal with any problems or questions that may arise in relation to these ‘special’ passport applications. When processed, the passports are collected by the TDs and personally delivered to the favoured constituents. 6,200 such applications were processed last year.

There is no justification whatsoever for this ‘unofficial’ service. The official Passport Office already provides a very efficient service capable of dealing with all eventualities.

In addition to normal service the office operates an express service that guarantees a passport within ten working days. There is also an emergency service whereby passports can be provided in two or three days.

The only possible reason for the existence of this expensive and unnecessary service is to provide TDs with a means of granting special favours for their constituents.

This Tammany Hall operation should be discontinued immediately or alternatively all citizens should be given access to the service with full details published on the Passports Office website.

Yours etc.
Anthony Sheridan