They say the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house; so no matter how insistent Health Minister Simon Harris is about addressing long-standing inequalities in the health service, there is no credible quick fix.
Yet there are good reasons for reviewing our egregious two-tier system.
It offers preferential treatment to those who can afford private cover. This opens up a multiplicity of benefits. They can have vital investigations carried out sooner, resulting in a faster diagnosis than public patients.
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The Government has now made its boldest move yet to end this invidious system by forcing new consultants to exclusively treat public patients for a salary of €252,150.
While welcoming the salary increase, consultants have reservations about the wisdom of the move.
A general rule of thumb in change management is to only introduce a plan when the outcome will be better than what is in place.
The scale of dysfunction and inefficiency within health probably left the Government concluding it could hardly be worse.
Last month the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that 108,364 people had queued for a hospital bed at some stage.
With another month to go, more people had already had to wait on trolleys for admission to a bed than in the whole of last year.
The Government was already committed to ending the public-private mix in public hospitals, in line with the Sláintecare health reform programme. But consultants have reservations about the move. For one, it will remove approximately €550m a year from the health budget. Services are already at breaking point. Staff at the Rotunda Maternity Hospital have even been driven to crowdfunding to raise money for a new ultra-sound machine to help extremely premature babies. Mr Harris says this money will be replaced over time in the health budget.
This means it will be paid for by the taxpayer as opposed to by private individuals.
Concerns have also been raised as to whether there will be sufficient beds, and whether operating theatres will also be available for the extra consultants. The aim of ending our two-tier health system may be admirable, but what many health experts are wondering is whether it ought to be at the top of a long list of urgent priorities in re-purposing a broken-down system.
Offers of extra money will address the “retention issue”, hopefully enticing doctors to stay.
But it may take more than a salary increase to convince many Irish doctors working overseas that an end to the overcrowding and under-staffing in our hospitals is in sight.
It is widely accepted the key problem is a shortage of beds. Taking private patients out of public beds will go some way to addressing this; but without massive investment in infrastructure and radical changes in rosters and work practices, our health system is likely to remain in need of intensive care.
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Home » Analysis & Comment » Editorial: 'Health plan isn't real cure our system so badly needs'
Editorial: 'Health plan isn't real cure our system so badly needs'
They say the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house; so no matter how insistent Health Minister Simon Harris is about addressing long-standing inequalities in the health service, there is no credible quick fix.
Yet there are good reasons for reviewing our egregious two-tier system.
It offers preferential treatment to those who can afford private cover. This opens up a multiplicity of benefits. They can have vital investigations carried out sooner, resulting in a faster diagnosis than public patients.
Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.
Log In
New to Independent.ie? Create an account
The Government has now made its boldest move yet to end this invidious system by forcing new consultants to exclusively treat public patients for a salary of €252,150.
While welcoming the salary increase, consultants have reservations about the wisdom of the move.
A general rule of thumb in change management is to only introduce a plan when the outcome will be better than what is in place.
The scale of dysfunction and inefficiency within health probably left the Government concluding it could hardly be worse.
Last month the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that 108,364 people had queued for a hospital bed at some stage.
With another month to go, more people had already had to wait on trolleys for admission to a bed than in the whole of last year.
The Government was already committed to ending the public-private mix in public hospitals, in line with the Sláintecare health reform programme. But consultants have reservations about the move. For one, it will remove approximately €550m a year from the health budget. Services are already at breaking point. Staff at the Rotunda Maternity Hospital have even been driven to crowdfunding to raise money for a new ultra-sound machine to help extremely premature babies. Mr Harris says this money will be replaced over time in the health budget.
This means it will be paid for by the taxpayer as opposed to by private individuals.
Concerns have also been raised as to whether there will be sufficient beds, and whether operating theatres will also be available for the extra consultants. The aim of ending our two-tier health system may be admirable, but what many health experts are wondering is whether it ought to be at the top of a long list of urgent priorities in re-purposing a broken-down system.
Offers of extra money will address the “retention issue”, hopefully enticing doctors to stay.
But it may take more than a salary increase to convince many Irish doctors working overseas that an end to the overcrowding and under-staffing in our hospitals is in sight.
It is widely accepted the key problem is a shortage of beds. Taking private patients out of public beds will go some way to addressing this; but without massive investment in infrastructure and radical changes in rosters and work practices, our health system is likely to remain in need of intensive care.
Source: Read Full Article