Who's to blame for health service debacle?
The Irish Healthcare Awards celebrates the fact that our healthcare and medical professionals are very talented people
Lloyd Mudiwa believes attending Irish Healthcare Awards may help politicians see that other factors (including an ageing population and capacity pressures), not doctors, are to blame for health service problems.
The President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) in a letter (Blaming doctors for political decisions, Irish Times 27/10/2018) published just over a week after the Irish Healthcare Awards took place (on October 17) highlighted one of the key reasons we established the event back in 2002.
In the 17th year the so-called ‘Oscars’ of the health services, which in keeping with the growing stature of these awards returned to the ‘old Burlo’, Dublin City’s largest hotel, are now indisputably recognised as the most sought after in Irish healthcare.
For the benefit of those who may have missed Dr Peadar Gilligan’s letter, allow me to quote it in full: “I was disappointed to hear the Taoiseach say that despite more doctors working in Ireland there has been no corresponding increase in activity (“Doctors’ pay to absorb ‘big chunk’ of extra €1 billion for health”, Dáil Report, October 23).
“This is at odds with what the Department of Health has published in the Health in Ireland Key Trends 2017 report, which noted emergency department attendances were up 5.1 per cent, there was increased surgical day case work (up in excess of 70% over 10 years), and that outpatient assessments reached 3.3 million annually (up approximately 1% in a single year). There has been a 12.6 per cent reduction in acute hospital beds (a political decision) between 2007 and 2016, with the result that waiting lists are extending and crowding of hospitals is increasing, and yet inpatient discharges annually are in excess of 635,000, which is an increase of 7 per cent over 10 years.
“Subjecting consultants appointed since 2012 to a pay cut three times that of any other public sector worker is the cause of 463 unfilled senior hospital specialist positions in Ireland.
“Paying people doing the same job significantly less than their colleagues who were appointed prior to 2012 has devalued the work of those individuals and has had a very negative impact on doctors at what should be among the most productive years of their careers.
“Rolling theatre closures; closed beds and wards; insufficient hospital, rehabilitation and intensive care beds, with 20 per cent of hospital beds occupied by patients who could receive their care in alternate settings; daily postponements of operating lists; ageing equipment; as well as insufficient consultants, all contribute to less activity than might otherwise be achieved.
“Politicians called for the 30 per cent cut; it is they who are responsible for the consequences of their decision and them who can deliver the solution.”
Anyone would be hard-pressed to put the argument across any more convincingly and succinctly.
As if to hammer home the issue of dilapidated equipment, the Irish Heart Foundation protested outside Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on World Stroke Day (Monday, October 29) over the threat to lifesaving stroke treatment brought about by equipment vital for the national service that is so obsolete that it is at risk of permanent breakdown.
The Irish Healthcare Awards serve to both showcase and celebrate the fact that, given adequate support and resources, our healthcare and medical professionals are undoubtedly very talented people who can deliver, and often under very difficult circumstances, world-class health services.
In fairness to the Taoiseach, he was viewing the health service from the Government’s perspective, while the IMO — ably represented by Vice President Dr Paddy McGarry at the Awards — would look at health from the front-line perspective.
The Awards’ organisers invited the Minister for Health to this year’s instalment of the Irish Healthcare Awards to help him keep in touch with the aforementioned front-line perspective, while the Health Service Executive was well represented in the competition bringing home to its Dr Steeven’s Hospital headquarters at least one top prize.
Unfortunately, owing to a full schedule of Dáil and other diary commitments Minister Simon Harris was unavailable to attend, apologising for the inconvenience and wishing the organisers “the very best” with their event. Hopefully the Minister can attend next year and maybe the organisers will also extend an invitation to the Taoiseach.
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