Madam, - The death of a loved one, whenever its comes, is a shocking and painful experience of loss which is often hard to comprehend and takes much time to heal, if ever. A sudden death, and more so a totally needless death, is often incomprehensible. Patrick Walsh's death is in this category, and is felt not just by his family but by his county and country.
Here in Ireland we have a dynamic economy. Our emigrants are coming home, we are a beacon of opportunity to our neighbours in central and eastern Europe while our missionaries and more lately our NGOs demonstrate the uniquely Irish brand of empathy and compassion to those less fortunate in our globalised world. These are mighty achievements, not to be sniffed at, and we may all be justifiably proud of the fruits of our labour.
But what use is all our money, all our technology, all our positive economic and Government spending statistics and this nebulous and indefinable "feel-good factor" when Patrick Walsh, may the Lord be good to him, is now nearly a week dead from a thoroughly preventable and treatable problem? What good is it that a family has lost a loved brother, uncle and friend and these people can get no answer to this needless death, no explanation as to what went wrong, no explanation as to why our healthcare system in the north-east failed so spectacularly, and for them so tragically? Why do the Walsh family, the people of Monaghan, and indeed the taxpayers and citizens of Ireland, see only blank faces when they ask the pertinent questions as to the overall political thrust driving the management of the health system in this country? Why do they hear only hollow expressions of sympathy - which brings no one back, and calls for the issue not to become a political football?
Surely the governance, performance, financing and management of one of our biggest areas of public spending - health - is a very political matter that deserves vigorous and probing debate? The true measure of a civilised society is how we protect our weak and how we care for our sick and our aged. - Yours, etc,
SEAN McKIERNAN (Jnr), Virginia Road, Bailieborough, Co Cavan.