Sir, – I note an extra €665 million funding for the health service this year to ensure it continues to function. Unless there is meaningful reform, however, simply throwing more money at the health service as it currently operates will solve nothing and supplementary budgets will again be required in 2016 and beyond. It is time that special interest groups and health service management got together and devised a new health service model that is significantly more cost-effective and capable of delivering better outcomes for patients and taxpayers. For instance, the trolley crisis is not unique to Ireland and other countries solved it without throwing extra resources and money at the problem. They should examine how this was achieved.
Clearly they need to look at the inefficiencies that litter the system as a consequence of special interest groups protecting their patch without any concern for the bigger picture. It is not acceptable that protecting special interests ranks ahead of better patient outcomes.
Archaic work practices, high levels of absenteeism, inefficient use of theatres and expensive imaging equipment, out-of-hours payments, and unionised resistance to change among some professional and support staff are just some examples of what needs to be looked at and addressed. Adding more doctors, nurses and beds on its own will not solve the problems in the health service.
As a taxpayer I strongly object to the bottomless money pit the health sector has become. If meaningful reform is not forthcoming from within then I suggest it be imposed. The big imponderable is whether the Government will ever impose change as politicians do not see any votes in tackling the vested interests and unions in the health service. By paying lip-service to change, both the Government and Opposition have played a major role in ensuring the health service is not delivering value for money. – Yours, etc,
DONAL O’SULLIVAN,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.