Sir, – I am an Irish citizen recently domiciled in the UK, but have been a subscriber to the VHI for almost 30 years. Six years ago I switched to its “Global Plan”, which was described in the documentation at the time (and subsequently) as being for Irish people living abroad who intended to return to Ireland “at a future date”. I have now been informed by letter that this requirement has been “clarified” to mean a return to Ireland “in the foreseeable future” and that consequently the policy has been limited to seven years after which all cover will be cancelled automatically.
I have been following with interest the recent anecdotal news coverage of the VHI and the shocking truth of Ireland’s decay. Our once proud tradition of excellence in medical care has been reduced to a farce.
At a time when the Taoiseach is calling for millions of ex-pats to holiday at home and for the Diaspora to play its role in reviving the Irish economy, the VHI is making sure that we can never return. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce described Ireland as “the old sow that eats her farrow”. That book was published in 1916 and as we prepare for the centenary of that fateful year, the government might usefully reflect on how much has changed over the intervening period and what its role should be in regulating the organs of the state for the benefit of all its citizens, as it is obliged to do under our Constitution. – Yours, etc,