Sir, – It was with great joy that I read of the abolition of hospital inpatient charges for children in Ireland (News, September 21st).
Ireland is the only country in western Europe without a universal healthcare system, and Irish citizens thus bear disproportionately high out-of-pocket healthcare costs compared to our neighbours.
Removing these charges represents one small step in reducing this burden.
Abolishing similar charges for all ages would greatly advance health equity nationally.
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Healthcare is a human right and access to it should not be determined by one’s ability to pay. – Yours, etc,
Dr RALPH HURLEY
O’DWYER,
Cambridge,
Massachusetts, US.
