Eight independent candidates from across the State yesterday declared their intention to contest the next general election on health issues.
Calling themselves the Independents Health Alliance, five of the candidates will stand in Dublin, and the other three in Limerick, Laois-Offaly and North Kerry. They are campaigning for waiting lists to be eliminated within three years and for better services and more rights for the elderly, carers and those with disabilities.
The candidates were presented to the media at the publication of their manifesto at the Mansion House in Dublin. They include a practice nurse and mother of a child with severe learning and physical disabilities, Ms Karen Canning; a senior clinical pyschologist, Dr Mark Harrold, who works at St Michael's House, Dublin; multiple sclerosis sufferers Mr Ciaran Goulding and Ms Heather Williams; company manager and radio presenter Mr Tom Ryan; the chairman of the Kerry branch of the Irish Foster Care Association, Mr James Kennedy; the national chairwoman of the Irish Wheelchair Association, Ms Molly Buckley, a nurse by profession, who will stand in Laois-Offaly; and a Dublin city councillor and teacher, Mr Finnian McGrath.
Their co-ordinator, Mr Ger South, said their catalyst had been the treatment meted out by the State to Ms Kathy Sinnot when she sought an education for her autistic son, Jamie. Ms Sinnot is also considering putting herself forward as a general election candidate and has sent the Alliance a letter of support.
Using the slogan "The health system is sick, let's make it better", the alliance presents itself as "a voice for those people who are too tired, disabled or incapacitated to stake their rightful claim to better services in Ireland".
Blaming successive governments for failing to improve services, Mr South emphasised that the candidates were genuine independents who would campaign for people at national level rather than for "a bit of tarmacadam in Lixnaw".
The campaign will be run "on a shoestring", Mr McGrath said,but he believed all the candidates had a good chance of being elected. They were not "token protest" candidates and would not stand if they didn't believe they had a chance.. They would not enter any pre-election pact with any of the main political parties, he added.
Describing the heath service as "third world", Dr Harrold said Ireland lagged behind most countries in Europe in the amount of money it spent on healthcare. "The average is 40 per cent, and Ireland spends 29 per cent of its annual budget", he said.
Mr Goulding, who has stood in two previous polls, including a by-election in Dublin North and a European Parliament election, said his GP recommended that he get a wheelchair for work six months ago but he was still waiting to be assessed by an occupational therapist.
"This is what it was like to have a disability", he said, pointing out that if elected he would campaign for the elimination of waiting times for essential services for disabled people.