Madam, - In your Editorial (Oct 21st) you welcome the arrival of a third private health insurance company, Vivas, into the market. Competition is always welcome. However, in the context of the current bed crisis in the country's hospitals, two issues need to be highlighted.
Firstly, while the current situation is complex, with many factors causing the bed shortages, little thought has been given to the role of private health insurance companies in contributing to the problem. The introduction of Vivas is further proof of Ireland's two-tier healthcare system. In the current context, the problem arises when private hospitals, whilst offering elective procedures to patients, are unable to provide adequate after-care facilities such as an accident and emergency department can provide.
Therefore, in an emergency, these patients have no option but to attend a public accident and emergency department. Consequently private health insurance offers little benefit to these patients but contributes to the problem of overflowing accident and emergency departments.
Secondly, it is a damning indictment of our society that despite almost a decade of economic success our health services are still struggling to cope with the daily demands placed upon it.
As a nation we have valued material wealth more highly than social health and wellbeing and consequently have become victims of our own success. Despite almost €11 billion being spent annually in the health sector, there has been little improvement in the delivery of services to the patient at the coalface.
Rather the money has been spent on staff recruitment, pay increases, benchmarking, etc. Mary Harney is right in suggesting that money is not everything. The implementation of the Hanly Report, with its promise of radical reform, is long overdue. - Yours, etc.,
MARIA CREGGY, Granard, Co Longford.