Health reform needed to deal with Health crisis

County Wexford Sinn Féin’s general election candidate has said that his party proposes complete reform of the state health service to end the hospital crisis.  Cllr Anthony Kelly, a long time advocate of a fairer health service has said that only those who can afford to do so should be contributing to the provision of health care through fair taxation, and that health care should be available to all based on need and need alone, not on ability to pay.

“In 2006 the then Minister for Health said that we had a national emergency due to the numbers of sick on hospital trolleys,” Cllr Kelly said, “But now those figures have returned and little is said in explanation and even less offered as solution by our government.  We have record numbers of people on trolleys while hospital beds across the land remained closed.  Our hospitals are under staffed yet the HSE maintains a recruitment embargo and allows gifted student nurses to emigrate.  GPs are in short supply and where they are active; their fees can put people off getting treatment.  VHI hike their rates which imposes a further burden on thousands of families.  This is a crisis, and immediate action is required.”

“We in Sinn Féin see this general election has an opportunity to bring about massive change to Irish politics,” Cllr Kelly said.  “This change must include sweeping health reform.  For many years I have called for an end to the two tiered health service and the establishment of one health service based on equality and decency.  Now is the time to bring this service about.  Sinn Féin has proposed the establishment of a Health Funding Commission to plan the transition to such a fairer and more equitable system.