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SIMON HARRIS HAS said he will consider introducing measures to allow private hospital facilities to be used by the state this winter in the event of a flu epidemic.
Speaking in the Dáil yesterday evening, the Health Minister said: “My commitment is to beef up the public health service, but we also must acknowledge where there is capacity in other parts.”
Harris was responding to a suggestion by Labour’s health spokesperson Alan Kelly, who said: ”If we have a bad flu epidemic this winter, we will face hell in our emergency departments. ”
Harris said: “I have no role in regulating the activities of private hospitals at present, although there are a number of issues in relation to the suggestion that I would like to tease out with [Kelly].
“Emergency departments in public hospitals provide comprehensive 24-7 emergency care to all patients regardless of health insurance status. Currently, no emergency department in a private hospital offers a 24 hour service and only a minority provide services at weekends.
“My department is engaging with private hospitals on their potential to contribute to meeting the demand for acute services, right across a range of services. There is already significant experience in using the services of such hospitals to assist in addressing lengthy waiting times for scheduled care.
“An example of such collaboration is that this year €20 million is being allocated to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), rising to €55 million in 2018. I envisage the NTPF utilising both the public and the private hospitals to reduce waiting lists.”
Harris noted that the HSE has reported an increase of approximately 5% in emergency department (ED) attendances so far this year.
“Despite increased demand, there has been a decrease of almost 5% in numbers of patients waiting on trolleys.
That is no comfort to someone waiting on a trolley but we have seen increased demand yet fewer patients on trolleys. In addition, patient experience times have been improving, with 82% of all patients completing their ED episode of care within nine hours.
In reply, Kelly said the minister’s answer started off “fairly well but he went downhill after that”, adding: “There was no meat in the detail.”
Waiting on a trolley
Kelly said it is “wrong that a 90-year-old woman who goes into an emergency department, such as the Mater, could be on a trolley for two to three days and 100 yards down the road an executive can go into another emergency department and be treated immediately”.
He said the vast majority of the time patients at private hospitals such as the Beacon and Blackrock Clinic “will be seen almost immediately by a consultant”.
This is not acceptable. We will have an epidemic this winter if a crisis develops because of an influenza epidemic. We need quick answers, quick decisions and quick engagement with private hospitals to use their capacity immediately. I am aware they do not provide all the services, as the minister rightly outlined, but they do provide services and they have capacity.
Harris described Kelly’s response as “the closest I will ever get to a compliment from Deputy Kelly”.
“There is merit in scoping this issue out. I believe discussions would be needed on the type of procedures, how it would work, how we would make sure we do not divert resources from public hospitals, and how we make sure that we get on with solving the pressures in our accident and emergency departments,” Harris said.
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Who gives a fcuk about this leech and his soundbites. Amazing isn’t it how liebour are now the champions of he people again, not so much when they had a bit of power though.
@William Clay: That’s it in a nutshell, he’s full of good ideas again these days. An abject failure when it mattered.
@William 100% buddy
Nail on the head William. This egotistical parasite should keep his mouth shut.
@William Clay: Great comment and so true ,That photo of the politicians, different parties same deadly policies to the working people of Ireland . Pay for everything and make those who are rich and multinational companies pay less
Alan Kelly – Failed Politician.. scraped in on a handful of votes.. celebrated this embarrasment, Failed in a bid to lead labour.. Failure is your only consistent quality along with your sheer arrogance.
Your opinion is irrelevant.
“Kelly said it is “wrong that a 90-year-old woman who goes into an emergency department, such as the Mater, could be on a trolley for two to three days and 100 yards down the road an executive can go into another emergency department and be treated immediately”.
Kelly is fully aware that this has been government policy for many decades including the government he was member of very recently. The public health system doesn’t work properly because it’s not meant to. If it did, then there would be little opportunity for private capital to profit from human illness.
Billy it’s your mates in the unions that played a major part in the down fall off the public health system. There keeping the pen pushers that arnt needed in there cushy jobs preventing the hiring of medical professionals. Pen pushers out doctors and nurses in, that my opinion
Exactly Roy. The unions block any move toward required radical reform of public health system. Putting their own interests above that of patients every time
Spare us your drivel Dowling and Gavin. The former minister for Health has admitted that privatization is the agenda behind the dysfunctional public health system.
Gene Kerrigan sums it up below:
“Here is my favourite-ever quote from a politician. It’s from Brendan Howlin, the current Minister for Thrashing the Social Infrastructure.
No, it’s not the quote from 2011, just before the election, when he asked for our votes and told us: “We are against water charges.”
No, it’s from an interview Brendan gave about a decade after he was Minister for Health. Being a thoughtful man, he had spent some time reflecting on his experience in coalition. He wondered why he and others had failed to deliver “a first-class public health system”.
He had since realised, he told author Maev-Ann Wren:”If we did that, there would be no reason for sustaining a private system.”
And the right-wing want a thriving private health market. They want, according to Brendan, around 30pc of people to pay for private health products.
However, he said: “In order for that to happen, they really required the public [health] system to be inferior. Why else, if it was first-rate, would people pay for a private system?”
That’s the sound of a penny dropping.”
That’s the way they made it! No one should be on a trolley regardless of age or illness.
That’s why we still keep paying the likes of VHI. It cripples us but having only used it once in 10 years I could see the benefit of going to the Galway clinic instead of UHL. I was seen and admitted in two hours, diagnosed the next morning after tests. Paid 70, – 50 for the GP, and 20 for the consultant at a&e. The a&e fee was wavered cause I was admitted. Healthcare looked after the rest.
In UHL I was sent in via the GP a 8 hour wait and they said we are too busy to admit me follow up with the GP to send me in as an outpatient, it could be this or it could be this. Another wait. When you are doubled over in pain, that’s the last thing you want to hear. Paid 50 euro to my GP. Further test of 150 and got no answer. It came back clear, meaning it was probably the other thing.
Test at Galway clinic proved it was the other thing!
Too right. sf tds refuse to pay health insurance even though they are earning 80k +. This is wrong. The public health service is fir poor people.
@ Billy how about your spare us from your copy and paste nonsense for a couple if days.. @Lily I was at a Dublin hospital on last Wednesday. We went in from the rear carpark door to a reception tried to check in receptionist there said we need to the front reception. Walked to the front reception and was told by the receptionist there we need to go to administration. So that’s 2 receptionist that couldn’t do anything for a patient. We found administration and was checked in by another receptionist. She told us then to go the day ward and low and behold another receptionist was there to check us into the actually ward. We seen 4 receptionists in 2 did nothing for us, one checked us into the hospital and the last one checked us into the day ward. How about we get rid rid of 3 receptionists and hire 3 nurses? Oh Yea unions won’t let that happen.
No Roy. Your education will continue as I see fit.
Only thing I’ve learned from you is not to read your copy and past dribble. If it’s over 5 lines long you’ve copied and pasted and I’ll avoid reading it.
You read my initial post above (over 5 lines btw) and responded with your risible guff Roy.
As I said, your education will continue as you just can’t help yourself.
Actually I didn’t Billy, I just seen your name and I decided to tell you that your union mates are also responsible for the hospital crisis. Good job keeping it under 5 lines though. Seems your learning. Good boy. I wonder will the AAA and the PBP friends give you a treat.
Alan Kelly I thought he sank in irish water, still blowing bubbles .
Alan Kelly. Such a dim wit. The state already has access to private hospitals they just have to pay like everyone else. Up untill 2011 regularly access them. Under the national treatment purchase fund.
liebour
Kelly is a poisoned chalice,he’s just not likeable,that goes a long way with the voting public.
Must be food around if this weasel is sticking his head out.
Labour werent too pushed about the health service when they were in power.they were more than happy to let James Reilly run it into the ground
@Dean Anderson: they werent two pushed about hour educaton eider or hour poor litracy skills,.
Without tackling the mismanagement in the HSE. Problems will persist. Sort that out.
The problem will persists for as long as the unions run our hospitals.
Simon Harris looks dead in that photo.
@Hugh Jass: He reminds me of Lurch from the Addams family, maybe his son or a little brother!
Alan Kelly the Nick Clegg of Irish politics ruined a party now twisting in the wind
Why are people paying thousands every year to health providers?? Because their hard earned money is to pay for their health care. It should not be used to subsidise public hospitals. Middle class getting walloped again.
Private patients are seen in public hospitals too Mary Murphy. When I worked in a hospital I remember a nurse telling me she had to ring a person who was coming in as a public patient to cancel the appointment because the consultant wanted to bring in a private patient. Private patients should only be given treatment in private hospitals in my opinion.
So Trisha people who pay for their health care a second time (rem.they pay tax towards public health care) would b descriminated against in public hospitals !This would mean most people would have to give up their private health care and take their chances with the public system ,which would further burden the public system .
@Trisha Tully:
That would be fine if the portion of the tax paid by said private patient that went to fund the public hospital was re-funded.
Trisha private patients contribute an awful lot towards public hospitals which is then used to treat public patients. Plus while I struggle to pay my private health cover my taxes already contribute too. I think if consultants waived their fees after ops it might encourage people to use their healthcare more. It’s enough to pay health cover and taxes only to be ripped off again with consultant fees.
Kelly, just go away, you failed, now bugger off theres a good boy
It’s amazing how this arrogant political failure can suddenly become concerned.
Health services goosed because it has to be goosed to enable private sector to flourish.. We allow this from successive FF/FG/LIEBOUR/GREENS governance..
Change so badly needed..
Or accept chaos and death in our over stretched deliberately health system…
ICU Bed crisis is costing over 300 lives a year! One such life lost was my 19 year old sister due to the wreak of a health system! HSE was seeking an additional €15.5 Million for the ICU bed situation, for this year and was declined. That decision has cost my family a member.
Health budget in 2008 was €15.4 billion. Trying to figure out how Paschal Donohoe thinks an increase of €497 means it’s now Irelands highest ever spending on health in history of State of €14.6 Billion, when Government spent €15.4 billion in 2008!
Health system needs a plan and proper funding. Two tier system clearly not working. Seems to be a lack of ambition and vision for Heath in this government.
University Hospital Kerry in dire need of support. A&E overrun all this year! Almost out of trolleys. Had no bed available in February and March this year for my family member RIP. Leadership needed!
@Paddy Kevane: My condolences on the death of your sister , R.I.P. All the family must be very angry .
is simon harris the ghost of christmas past
If consultants can work in both private and public systems, why can’t patients.
@Niall Donnelly: Because consultants are part of the “rules don’t apply to us lads club”
What the fail to see is that Private hospitals are facing the same staff shortages as the public hospitals , and that the private hospital are businesses so it will cost the HSE and money is not exactly abundant !!!
Maybe offer more money to pay the hospital staff it would also be a good recruitment move!!! More staff better hours (NOT SEVEN 12 HOUR SHIFTS) less PEOPLE WAITING ITS A NO BRAINER.
Very few things are straightforward to this gov, i’d say some of them struggle with basic maths.
There’s a severe lack of strategic thinking for one.
(obvious ones:
Lets keep the recovery going, we’ve no money, we’ll give ourselves pay rises, no forward thinking on the strikes.
an obvious lack of pre-preparation for Brexit.
a inability to deal with a worsening housing crisis).
I can’t see someone that pays a fortune for their stay in a private hospital being too please to see the common man or woman being treated down the corridor from them. They might catch something.
@mickmc: or paying a fortune in private health care (on top of taxes) and needing a bed in said private hospital but not being able to get one because its full of public patients.
Sort out the HSE and the public hospitals. This “solution” is just sweeping that under the carpet
Didn’t seem to bother him or his party when they in Government
That 90 year old woman having to wait on a trolley is the fault of druggies and the like they are the ones who have the system blocked.
Alan Kelly, not the hero we want but the hero we need….
Labour still trying to reinvent the wheel.They had a chance and blew it.They decided as a group self enrichment was more important than the national good.
We seem to forget that Labour was the junior partner in the last government as determined by the electorate. If you really want Labour to have the power to do things then by all means make them the majority party in the next election. Otherwise cop on to reality which is either FF or FG will be the major party in power. Instead of scapegoating Labour blame the electorate for their choices.
@Micheal S. Sorry there are too many alternatives now to the Labour party, they have been given their chance and what contributions have they made recently to the weakest sections of Irish society. Food banks is their legacy.
“We seem to forget that Labour was the junior partner in the last government as determined by the electorate.”
You seem to forget that Joan Burton herself said Labour made 50% of the decisions in government. The traitor party excuses including “we’re were only the junior partner” (when it suited them ) “we made mistakes” Yeah don’t blame poor Labour for trying to out Fine Fail, Fine Fail.
I got as far as “alan kelly wants, a disgusting pig of a man
Am I the only one to think that our little Simon Harris looks like hes in the Walking Dead in this photo?
All opposition politicans spout about the downtrodden masses. When they are in government they have to do the job. You can see this most clearly in the north. down here sf are further left than trotsky. In the north they are further right than mussolini.
@Patrick Gough:
I wonder what would happen if you posted a comment without mentioning SF/AAA/PBP
Would your head explode?
As long as his private medical insurance is up to date
The Tipperary mouth won’t have to worry should he need hospital treatment, like he’s gonna get in line at a and e and suffer for 12 hours, my arse he will
Private hospitals should be nationalised. The State has greatly subsidised the construction of these private hospitals, in many cases on public lands, it also subsidises private health insurance and covers the cost of a public patients in these private hospitals! Private for profit medicine is a cancer feeding off the public system. It is also repugnant to the ideals of a Republic.
Good idea. We need to get over our hypocritical distrust of the profit motive in healthcare. After all 50% of us have private health insurance.
A deshitefull character if ever my nose knew one!!
Alan Kelly ,Smug useless twit ,Labour have become another right wing party with neither principles or morals ,sold out to power and a big pensions for the few .Labour founded by Connolly and Larkin and O’Brien , and destroyed Rabbitte ,Gilmore ,Burton
have your say