Mayo health service: Stop the ranting and raving

by Auld Stock

THE health services are in a chaotic state - long waiting lists, people sleeping on trolleys, children with specialist needs awaiting attention.

It’s depressing to read the stories day after day. However, it must be even more depressing for the staff of the various hospitals across the country.

And now comes the news that many of our newly-qualified doctors are leaving for Australia.

This is a stunning blow to those who run the medical services in Ireland. The young doctors are leaving because they see a better future in Australia, higher salaries and shorter working hours.

And who can blame them?

I don’t know the answers to the many problems in our health services. Certainly the cost of running our hospitals has gone sky-high.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has been lambasted in the Dáil over the crisis. But would those landing the hefty verbal punches on Donnelly do any better?

The answer is probably not.

Of course, opposition deputies have every right to track Minister Donnelly and take him to task. That is what they are elected to do.

However, promising the sun, moon and stars can have drastic results. Saying what the dismayed public want to hear is going down a dangerous route and can have serious consequences.

Many politicians have learned this hard lesson in the past - there is little profit in using that tactic.

The public have long memories and will give the order of the boot to those foolish enough to make extravagant promises from the opposition benches.

It is difficult for the ordinary person to understand what is happening in our health services.

It doesn’t appear to be a lack of finance. Billions of euro are allocated in each budget. However, that money is swamped up in a short time.

That begs the question: where do we go from here?

Nobody, it seems, has the answer.

Perhaps an all-party committee to examine the future of health services in our country might be a help. Surely any initiative is better than having our politicians tearing themselves asunder in meaningless debates.

We must never forget the efficiency and courtesy of those engaged in the provision of health services. They are the unsung heroes and heroines. Their job is difficult and emotional at times.

As someone who visits Mayo University Hospital on a regular basis with a partially disabled relative, I can readily vouch for the courtesy and efficiency of the hospital staff, from those who help with the wheelchairs to the consultants.

We are blessed with the dedicated staffs of the hospital.

With all our public representatives working together as a team it should be possible to iron out many of the problems in our hospitals.

Talk is cheap and a poor substitute for looking at our health services in a sensible and caring fashion.