Sir, - Jane Wilde (Opinion, October 31st),hit the nail on the head with her statement that: "The health service has one essential strength, the huge contribution made every day by people providing care. Many work long hours, in poor conditions, on low pay, caring for those who are most vulnerable. Their commitment and expertise in providing high-quality care . . . is borne out by first-hand accounts of special attention and care."
This statement could be used to describe the outstanding care provided by an estimated 200,000 family/informal carers in Ireland. The one alteration we would make to this statement is that the vast majority of carers receive no pay whatsoever (not even to cover the costs of caring).
The current crisis in the health service is nothing compared to the scenario if all carers were to cease their work and hand the responsibility back to the State. Government departments and other service providers would do well to bear this in mind. - Yours, etc.,
Fionnuala O'Mahoney, National Development Officer, Care Alliance Ireland, Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2.