Reverse the cutbacks in Kerry General Hospital services

by Sceptic Sun Dec 30, 2007 18:45

It is not an issue that divides the sexes nor town and country despite your efforts to be divisive. Nor is it anything to do with left v right. It is an objective and empirical calculation of what arrangements yield best health outcomes. Despite the worthiness of the ICA in many respects they are not inerrant on this issue.

by in patient Sat Dec 29, 2007 15:34

The ICA organised the protest and true left leaders follow the will of the people.

Indeed we would not be in this mess if a pack of jackeens interested in profit had not
taken their tiny minds off the ball and given people what they require and that is local
services for local taxes-

People are not stupid- the iCA probably know more about local electoral politics and
need than anyone and you are patronising them in the extreme by assuming that
women are sheep led by some male politician.

by Sceptic Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:28

I am not necessarily presupposing an in-patient stay. Outcomes are also better in centres of excellence for day treatments. Unfortunately not everyone lives within a short distance of these but their outcomes will be better. The Irish health system has been bedevilled for decades by localism in the health services. One could go back to the Fitzgerald report of 1968. People are being deceived by activists who tell them to support a local hospital or vote for a hospital candidate when in fact it is not in their best health interests at all. All too often there are vested interests at play too. For instance employees of the local facilities agitating against change on the name of health services but in fact in their own sectional and personal interests.

by ex-pat Thu Dec 27, 2007 20:12

"It is better to travel home from a hospital over 80 miles if one is alive and well recovered than to have a conveniently short trip home from a local hospital in a box. Doubtless it would be more convenient to the local funeral home however. Using the political process to keep unviable local services open will result in more deaths. This is the blunt reality. "

Dear sceptic you have pre-supposed that a Cancer patient travels to a hospital receives treatment and travels back again when well - Wrong!

When in actual fact the 'blunt reality' is that there are frequent trips to be made by patients to recieve a series of treatment. And it is that the Kerry folk are quite rightly complaining about.

by Sceptic Thu Dec 27, 2007 13:04

My comments are designed to inform not to irritate but some people find facts inconvenient and therefore get irritated.

"80 MILES OVER THE CORK AND KERRY MOUNTAINS IS TOO FAR FOR SICK PEOPLE TO TRAVEL. "

It is better to travel home from a hospital over 80 miles if one is alive and well recovered than to have a conveniently short trip home from a local hospital in a box. Doubtless it would be more convenient to the local funeral home however. Using the political process to keep unviable local services open will result in more deaths. This is the blunt reality.

by local elections Mon Dec 24, 2007 18:13

The above comment was designed to irritate, which is what Skeptic does. Its a hobby thing.

The Locals are coming in 2009 and FF are scared because Bertie's hobby horse (Mary Harney)
failed. FF do elections, so a concerted effort to ensure that they feel the sting of a dublin-based
self-congragulatory HSE and State machinery based in spin and dishonesty should be
put in place.

St Luke's.
Monaghan.
Sligo.
Lack of services in the North-West

all these issues of local expendidture for local people should be brought quite home
otherwise people will die. 80 miles over the Cork and Kerry mountains is too far
for sick people to travel. now someone is profiting from centralisation and giving themselves
huge pay increases- one of them is Niamh Brennan who is on the board and is of course
married to ex-Minister Mc Dowell.

by Sceptic Mon Dec 24, 2007 14:23

“CARE OF PATIENTS SHOULD BE GIVEN AS CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A GREATER EMPHASIS ON DELIVERY OF CARE IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.”

But this is only for services that can be delivered locally without a diminution in quality. What point very convenient local services with very high fatality and morbidity rates? In this day and age only centralization can ensure adequate quality in areas like cancer and maternity. It is not a case of discriminating against Kerry. Even someone in the greater Dublin area could easily have a near enough two-hour trip to a centre and for someone near Rathdrum it would be a lot longer. Also don’t be too swayed by nurses’ protests, silent or otherwise. Not only are they a vested interest but the INO’s record on many issues in the last decade is suspect. The judgment of the leadership of the INO is questionable.

by C Murray Sun Dec 23, 2007 20:21

I know many who support this , who live in the area. There were problems with maternity also
and many women travelled to the Erinville or Bons in Cork to have their babies, which was
an eighty mile plus drive over the Cork and Kerry mountains, and not fun when in Labour.

I do not know if the maternity issue has resolved , but having done the journey to Cork
it is not recommendable, it is tiring- even on a train. To do that in the event of a
prognosis of cancer and with aggressive radiation treatments is not something that
people should have to put up with.

There are groups in Sligo and the St Luke's Hospital also who are fighting this.

Good Luck and Solidarity. I was at St Luke's protest, it was freezing= wrap up warm!