Campaign for a Decent Health Service
You thought it couldn’t get any worse? There are now 2,700 fewer front line workers in our hospitals and community health services since the HSE introduced restrictions on hiring staff earlier this year. It hasn’t taken this government long, with the first indications of an economic slowdown, to go from boasting about the billions it is spending on health, to re-introducing health cuts.
By keeping Mary Harney as Minister for Health, Brian Cowen has sent a very clear message that there will be no change in government policy. That means the crises in A&E units will continue, long waiting lists will remain for treatment and operations, the deliberate rundown of public health care will go on and as will the closure of local hospitals while speculators get tax breaks to build for-profit hospitals in the grounds of public hospitals.
In short, it means more Susie Longs, people dying because they can’t access the treatment they deserve. Despite being one of the richest countries in Europe, a recent OECD report showed that the level of funding on our public services, including health and education, was still below that of the higher spending EU states.
If this situation is to change, the campaign for a Decent Public Health Service needs to be built into a mass campaign of health workers, health campaign groups, and ordinary people.
What’s required is the sacking of Harney, the abolition of the HSE, an end to co-location, an end to the subsidising of for-profit health care, the overturning of the latest recruitment embargo, keeping open local hospitals, and funding of public health care well above the EU average to make up for the cuts and under-funding of the past.
A weakness of the national demonstration in March was the absence of tens of thousands of health workers, despite the call by the main unions, especially SIPTU, for workers’ support. Much more needs to be done for the day of national protest in June and for the next national demonstration planned by the campaign for the autumn.
Contact 087 622 9686 or dctuhealth@gmail.com for more info
