A chara, – It is somewhat refreshing to read Minister for Health Leo Varadkar (Opinion, July 1st) stating clearly that our health system needs additional funding up to the region of €1 billion. Sadly, it is all too rare an occurrence when a senior Minister calls it as it is.
Not many years ago senior members of the government coined the phrase “the black hole” to describe our health system, with all the negative connotations that term entailed.
Sadly this policy worked because debate subsequently focused on improved efficiencies, elimination of wastage, value for money and such quasi-economic terms that sit poorly with a caring and empathic health system.
The harsh economic reality is that our health spending in 2014 was 8.9 per cent of GDP, marginally below the OECD average for that year of 9.3 per cent. Many visitors to France return home with good reports of their encounter with the health system there – it spends 11.6 per cent of GDP.
Our own spending which places us mid-table in the list of countries must also be interpreted in the context of our being the lowest spender for most of the past 20 years. The extension of medical cards to under-sixes is bringing a reported €95 million into primary care but this needs to be viewed in the context of more than €350 million removed by the financial emergency measures of the last five years.
There is one positive aspect to this latest shift in Government policy. No more expensive consultants’ reports into our health system. Just spend more. Unfortunately as I write I hear the delivery truck arriving in Dáil Éireann with a delivery of lead balloons! – Yours, etc, NIALL O CLÉIRIGH Pearse Street Medical Centre, Dublin 2.
Sir, – The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar says that an underfunded health service will be a poor one, even if it is well organised.
He might have added that an adequately-funded health service, badly organised, would be even worse. – Yours, etc, DAVID FITZGERALD Goatstown, Dublin 14.