Fergus Byrne and members of Sinn Féin from the Balbriggan area joined with crowds protesting at the cuts planned for Crumlin Children's Hospital.
The impact of the cuts imposed by this government on our children’s healthcare is stark. Mary Harney remains wedded to the PDs failed privatisation agenda and she continues on hand in hand with her government partners Fianna Fáil and the Green’s.
The HSE has increased it’s spend on private hospital procedures for children over a recent year period by an astonishing 8,400%. In 2004 the HSE spent €54,536 on sub-contracting operations on children to private hospitals. By 2008 that figure had risen to over 4.5 million euro. In total the government has diverted €16.5 million euro between 2004 and 2008 away from public health service provision for children
to private hospitals.
Health Minister Mary Harney has imposed a range of savage cutbacks on Crumlin and Tallaght Children’s Hospital including the closure of an operating theatre which will result in the delay or cancellation of more than 2,000 operations and the closure of two wards in Crumlin due to a miserly €9.6 shortfall in funding from government. Take this shortfall in the context of the most recent government Anglo bail out of €4 billion and it is clear where this governments priorities lie.
Our Lady’s is a national centre of excellence for the care of children yet the government refuses to adequately fund its needs to operate effectively.
Privatisation of public services does not work. It didn’t work during the celtic tiger’s years and it will not work during the recession. If
billions of euro can be found at a moments notice to bail out a bad bank like Anglo then a similar commitment and approach needs to be embraced by this government to our children’s healthcare.
From the days of Dev Fianna Fáil’s record when it comes to the care and well being of our children, particularly the most vulnerable, is disgraceful. They have never cherished all of the children equally nor have they prioritised their education, their care and their health.
We in Balbriggan Sinn Féin say that the money was there to save the bankers and property developers, so why is it not there to save our children?
The impact of the cuts imposed by this government on our children’s healthcare is stark. Mary Harney remains wedded to the PDs failed privatisation agenda and she continues on hand in hand with her government partners Fianna Fáil and the Green’s.
The HSE has increased it’s spend on private hospital procedures for children over a recent year period by an astonishing 8,400%. In 2004 the HSE spent €54,536 on sub-contracting operations on children to private hospitals. By 2008 that figure had risen to over 4.5 million euro. In total the government has diverted €16.5 million euro between 2004 and 2008 away from public health service provision for children
to private hospitals.
Health Minister Mary Harney has imposed a range of savage cutbacks on Crumlin and Tallaght Children’s Hospital including the closure of an operating theatre which will result in the delay or cancellation of more than 2,000 operations and the closure of two wards in Crumlin due to a miserly €9.6 shortfall in funding from government. Take this shortfall in the context of the most recent government Anglo bail out of €4 billion and it is clear where this governments priorities lie.
Our Lady’s is a national centre of excellence for the care of children yet the government refuses to adequately fund its needs to operate effectively.
Privatisation of public services does not work. It didn’t work during the celtic tiger’s years and it will not work during the recession. If
billions of euro can be found at a moments notice to bail out a bad bank like Anglo then a similar commitment and approach needs to be embraced by this government to our children’s healthcare.
From the days of Dev Fianna Fáil’s record when it comes to the care and well being of our children, particularly the most vulnerable, is disgraceful. They have never cherished all of the children equally nor have they prioritised their education, their care and their health.
We in Balbriggan Sinn Féin say that the money was there to save the bankers and property developers, so why is it not there to save our children?
well done keep up the great work,
ReplyDeletegreat to see people that have a genuine interest in the health of our country's children.. well done to all concerned
ReplyDelete