APRIL 10th 2009. O'CONNELL STREET, SLIGO The people of the northwest are taking the lead countrywide and taking back whats rightfully theirs.
The campaign is inviting all health groups from across the region to join them in their 'Great Friday' march.
We are no longer asking for our services to be left alone, we are demanding it.
We are taking back our Health Services, Our Hospitals and Our Rights.
We no longer recognise the Minister for Health Mary Harney.
We no longer recognise the authority of the HSE
We no longer recognise and actively oppose any body (political or otherwise) that opposes fair and equitable health services for all.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON.
Showing posts with label cancer services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer services. Show all posts
What iceberg?
I stopped trying to figure out where to start when describing Mary Harney. Its not easy to accurately describe her, its virtually impossible to understand her and try as you might you cant remain objective. There is no neutral ground when it comes to your health, you're either with her policies or against them.
I make no apology for being against them, Ive seen nothing worthy of support. I find it strange that a woman who recieved less then 5000 1st preference votes, belonging to a now defuct party has control over the health services of almost 5 million people. Stranger still is that shes still there, but then when you consider who sits along side her on the front benches, maybe its not that strange after all.
In line with the 'revolutionary' thinking of her party, free market policies were incorporated into our health services, economies of scale, centralisation, privatisation would solve our woes. We pumped in more money then ever, hired more managers and consultants and lets not forget co-location to free up all those badly needed beds, the future should be rosy, free and equitable health for all, all we had to do was wait........
And wait we did, 3 years on and co-location has yet to yield a single extra bed, waiting times have increased, the HSE now resembling its creator has become bloated only with consultancy firms and managers and even now with a budget of 16 billion a year, we still cant afford €14 million to immunise 12 years olds and save up to 90 lives a year. €14 million for 90 lives, thats about €150,000 per life, thats less than you pay in overtime to private consultants Mary, you know like the ones who work for MKC.
I wonder how much MRPA KINMAN (now MKC) made in consultancy fees, working for the HSE? Weren't they the same firm that set up HIQA? Aren't they the same firm chaired by Brian Geoghegan? Isn't he married to the minister for health?
I wonder how much money Brian Geoghegan makes from the carparks in our PUBLIC hospitals, better still I wonder how he got contracts for carparks in public hospitals?
I wonder how much of that €14m needed to save 90 lives a year goes to Mary Harneys husband, goes to Mary harney?
Im not sure when Adam Smith spoke of the 'invisble hand', this is quite what he meant, I think the PD's (2 of whom also happen to be directors of MKC) got their free market economics confused with cronyism and cowenomics. Even the free market is not this callous, surely 12 years olds are more important than profit margins Mary? then again, maybe not.
So where do you draw the line Mary? When does the health of these people supercede the interests of the shareholder?
The elderly,
The disabled,
Cancer patients,
Children,
Medical card holders,
Prescription drugs,
Whos left? The mentally ill- no, Its a long time since you gave up on them- no profit there but cancer patients, thats where the real money is.
In the Northwest theres not enough patients to justify radiotherapy in a public facility but there are enough 'customers' to justify it, in subsidised unregulated private hospitals. But its not about profits is it Mary? its about beds or rather the lack of them, you'ld never subsidise private hospitals so they could cherry pick the profitably procedures?
Would you?
Like I said at the start its hard to describe someone like Harney, egotistical, apathetic, dishonest, hypocritical and greedy go some of the way but not far enough.
This ship is definitely going down Mary and once again the lifeboats are full, and its the people in steering class that are getting screwed but what do you care?
You're gone one way or the other, the only question is whether you walk through the door or get pushed and when.
I make no apology for being against them, Ive seen nothing worthy of support. I find it strange that a woman who recieved less then 5000 1st preference votes, belonging to a now defuct party has control over the health services of almost 5 million people. Stranger still is that shes still there, but then when you consider who sits along side her on the front benches, maybe its not that strange after all.
In line with the 'revolutionary' thinking of her party, free market policies were incorporated into our health services, economies of scale, centralisation, privatisation would solve our woes. We pumped in more money then ever, hired more managers and consultants and lets not forget co-location to free up all those badly needed beds, the future should be rosy, free and equitable health for all, all we had to do was wait........
And wait we did, 3 years on and co-location has yet to yield a single extra bed, waiting times have increased, the HSE now resembling its creator has become bloated only with consultancy firms and managers and even now with a budget of 16 billion a year, we still cant afford €14 million to immunise 12 years olds and save up to 90 lives a year. €14 million for 90 lives, thats about €150,000 per life, thats less than you pay in overtime to private consultants Mary, you know like the ones who work for MKC.
I wonder how much MRPA KINMAN (now MKC) made in consultancy fees, working for the HSE? Weren't they the same firm that set up HIQA? Aren't they the same firm chaired by Brian Geoghegan? Isn't he married to the minister for health?
I wonder how much money Brian Geoghegan makes from the carparks in our PUBLIC hospitals, better still I wonder how he got contracts for carparks in public hospitals?
I wonder how much of that €14m needed to save 90 lives a year goes to Mary Harneys husband, goes to Mary harney?
Im not sure when Adam Smith spoke of the 'invisble hand', this is quite what he meant, I think the PD's (2 of whom also happen to be directors of MKC) got their free market economics confused with cronyism and cowenomics. Even the free market is not this callous, surely 12 years olds are more important than profit margins Mary? then again, maybe not.
So where do you draw the line Mary? When does the health of these people supercede the interests of the shareholder?
The elderly,
The disabled,
Cancer patients,
Children,
Medical card holders,
Prescription drugs,
Whos left? The mentally ill- no, Its a long time since you gave up on them- no profit there but cancer patients, thats where the real money is.
In the Northwest theres not enough patients to justify radiotherapy in a public facility but there are enough 'customers' to justify it, in subsidised unregulated private hospitals. But its not about profits is it Mary? its about beds or rather the lack of them, you'ld never subsidise private hospitals so they could cherry pick the profitably procedures?
Would you?
Like I said at the start its hard to describe someone like Harney, egotistical, apathetic, dishonest, hypocritical and greedy go some of the way but not far enough.
This ship is definitely going down Mary and once again the lifeboats are full, and its the people in steering class that are getting screwed but what do you care?
You're gone one way or the other, the only question is whether you walk through the door or get pushed and when.
The Politics of Men.................
You could tell she was slightly awestruck by his presence but not intimidated, she spoke up, said what was on her mind, declined his leaflet and continued on with her shopping. I heard her say the names 'Scanlon, Devins' and the word 'disgrace' and the source of her anger became immiediatley obvious. The sight of Sligo's favourite son immaculate in navy blazer and cream trousers handing out 'Yes to Lisbon' flyers didnt surprise her as much it did me. Here was a man used to warm welcomes, hearty handshakes and generous compliments, a former minister for finance and EU commisioner, a man not prepared for the quiet anger of a middle aged woman in the centre of his town.
I know that this man has lost someone dear to him but I wondered who it was she had lost.
Within seconds her place was taken by an elderly couple, again leaflets were offered, this time one was accepted. The husband enjoyed his chance to shake hands with this elder statesman, the wife refused to acknowledge him and as impatience got the better of her, she quickly walked off, leaving behind her husband and his awkward attempts at small talk.
We spoke with this statesman, he berated us for implying that this was a political issue, how the recent Dail motion did more damage then good and that a lifetime in politics told him as much.
I asked if this was so true, why he hadn't spoken out before? why wait until a week after the motion? The answers were short and impatient, 'the government has to vote against the opposition', 'Castlebar and Letterkenny should never have been included'. I asked why loyalty to a party was more important then loyalty to the people who elected them? his face flushed and he turned his back on us.
'People are going to die Ray' and he turned to face us again but this time his attentions focused on the woman to my right. Although not given to raising her voice and small in stature, she has a commanding presence. Her soft voice hides a quiet determination and dignity that only suffering brings and thus makes it all the more impossible to ignore. It dawned on me then, that it would be women that would solve this problem, I didnt have time to wonder why this was but whatever the reason, Im certain it's so.
We left with his angry promise 'I will bring them to Drumm and Keane myself' referring to the medical reports the HSE has chosen to ignore, the ones that the government wishes didnt exist, the ones that expose the lies and also the liars.
No more than two hundred yards away we ran into a Fianna Fail TD and senator, the TD ignored us, the senator looked on anxiously, we let them know we wished to speak and waited. To pass the time we joked about what we would say and how we would say it, I looked for familiar faces in the crowds but saw none. As the senator finally approached us, she nervously appraised us. We had tried and failed to meet with her on a number of occasions and I sensed this was partly the reason she seemed apprehensive. We discussed the closing of Sligo's cancer services, the conditions the men and women have to endure every day on their journey to and from Galway. We discussed how the region will be left without any diagnostics as Breastcheck has no schedule for the Northwest, we discussed how Mary Harney and the HSE were allowed to use figures and statistics that we all know to be out of date and incorrect but yet go unchallenged, we discussed.
Its a conversation we've all had many times now but its one that we've grown weary of, we all agree whats happening is wrong, yet can agree on nothing else. Still I was glad to have met this senator, having only previously spoken to her over the phone, I knew little of her and was less than impressed by how little she knew on that occasion. In person there was a different side to her, I think she felt genuinely ashamed by what was happening and wanted to be of help. Yet despite this, her party allegiance reared its head when I blamed their policies, I'm still surprised by this misplaced loyalty and its blindness, have they lost the ability to doubt or to think for themselves?
The myopia of these people, these 'leaders' and their stubborn reluctance to question what they know to be untrue is staggering, I dont know how to describe it because I cant understand it. I dont doubt she wanted to help, I only doubt if she could.
Later I thought of another woman, it was the agreed meeting with her this very morning that had first brought us into Sligo centre. In her office she described how she would try to help us, she was careful not to give us false hope but she did however, give us hope. It wasnt hard to imagine her in her former career, teaching honours maths to nervous students. As she detailed the positives and negatives of our proposal, an analytical and intelligent mind revealed itself. I pictured her in Europe, an Independent, an Irish woman and MEP, free from the party ties that seem to strangle our local representatives. I tried to imagine how hard she must have had to work to get that far, it made it very easy to admire her.
She didnt need to make any promises to us, we instinctively knew she would do as she said and left her to it.
Its the promise that was made later on that saturday afternoon that worries me. Those reports have already been presented, those reports have already been ignored.
Did this man mean what he said? was it another false promise to get rid of an increasing annoyance? Was this another lie designed to cloud the real issue at hand? Theres no way to be sure and thats what concerns me.
One certainty though, is that we will keep you to that promise Ray. But if you break that promise, its not the men of the Northwest you need to be wary of.
I know that this man has lost someone dear to him but I wondered who it was she had lost.
Within seconds her place was taken by an elderly couple, again leaflets were offered, this time one was accepted. The husband enjoyed his chance to shake hands with this elder statesman, the wife refused to acknowledge him and as impatience got the better of her, she quickly walked off, leaving behind her husband and his awkward attempts at small talk.
We spoke with this statesman, he berated us for implying that this was a political issue, how the recent Dail motion did more damage then good and that a lifetime in politics told him as much.
I asked if this was so true, why he hadn't spoken out before? why wait until a week after the motion? The answers were short and impatient, 'the government has to vote against the opposition', 'Castlebar and Letterkenny should never have been included'. I asked why loyalty to a party was more important then loyalty to the people who elected them? his face flushed and he turned his back on us.
'People are going to die Ray' and he turned to face us again but this time his attentions focused on the woman to my right. Although not given to raising her voice and small in stature, she has a commanding presence. Her soft voice hides a quiet determination and dignity that only suffering brings and thus makes it all the more impossible to ignore. It dawned on me then, that it would be women that would solve this problem, I didnt have time to wonder why this was but whatever the reason, Im certain it's so.
We left with his angry promise 'I will bring them to Drumm and Keane myself' referring to the medical reports the HSE has chosen to ignore, the ones that the government wishes didnt exist, the ones that expose the lies and also the liars.
No more than two hundred yards away we ran into a Fianna Fail TD and senator, the TD ignored us, the senator looked on anxiously, we let them know we wished to speak and waited. To pass the time we joked about what we would say and how we would say it, I looked for familiar faces in the crowds but saw none. As the senator finally approached us, she nervously appraised us. We had tried and failed to meet with her on a number of occasions and I sensed this was partly the reason she seemed apprehensive. We discussed the closing of Sligo's cancer services, the conditions the men and women have to endure every day on their journey to and from Galway. We discussed how the region will be left without any diagnostics as Breastcheck has no schedule for the Northwest, we discussed how Mary Harney and the HSE were allowed to use figures and statistics that we all know to be out of date and incorrect but yet go unchallenged, we discussed.
Its a conversation we've all had many times now but its one that we've grown weary of, we all agree whats happening is wrong, yet can agree on nothing else. Still I was glad to have met this senator, having only previously spoken to her over the phone, I knew little of her and was less than impressed by how little she knew on that occasion. In person there was a different side to her, I think she felt genuinely ashamed by what was happening and wanted to be of help. Yet despite this, her party allegiance reared its head when I blamed their policies, I'm still surprised by this misplaced loyalty and its blindness, have they lost the ability to doubt or to think for themselves?
The myopia of these people, these 'leaders' and their stubborn reluctance to question what they know to be untrue is staggering, I dont know how to describe it because I cant understand it. I dont doubt she wanted to help, I only doubt if she could.
Later I thought of another woman, it was the agreed meeting with her this very morning that had first brought us into Sligo centre. In her office she described how she would try to help us, she was careful not to give us false hope but she did however, give us hope. It wasnt hard to imagine her in her former career, teaching honours maths to nervous students. As she detailed the positives and negatives of our proposal, an analytical and intelligent mind revealed itself. I pictured her in Europe, an Independent, an Irish woman and MEP, free from the party ties that seem to strangle our local representatives. I tried to imagine how hard she must have had to work to get that far, it made it very easy to admire her.
She didnt need to make any promises to us, we instinctively knew she would do as she said and left her to it.
Its the promise that was made later on that saturday afternoon that worries me. Those reports have already been presented, those reports have already been ignored.
Did this man mean what he said? was it another false promise to get rid of an increasing annoyance? Was this another lie designed to cloud the real issue at hand? Theres no way to be sure and thats what concerns me.
One certainty though, is that we will keep you to that promise Ray. But if you break that promise, its not the men of the Northwest you need to be wary of.
The Awful truth
Centres of excellence, Critical mass, Economic effectiveness, best practice, best international practice. If you've ever had the pleasure of talking to a member of Fianna Fail or the DOHC / HSE about the future of Irelands cancer services, these terms will be rolled out with an unnerving ease.
You'll hear all about how 'it's best for the patient', how Professor Keane won't change his mind, how even Bertie tried to convince him but the stubborn professor just wouldn't budge.
They'll even try to convince you that they tried their best and with a defeatist shrug of their shoulders exclaim 'what else can we do?'
Good oul Fianna Fail, sure they did what they could and what else can you ask for?
The truth is always a good place to start.
The problem is that, truth, honesty and decency are not words you tend to associate with Fianna Fail. It seems that getting caught is their only concern. On the same day Brian Cowen hit the streets of Galway to boost the flagging Lisbon campaign, his predecessor is beguiling the rest of the nation with his unbelievable luck at the track. All this fuss over 'a few quid and sure didnt he win it after all'.
So where do you start?
Is it even possible to penetrate this cult of dishonesty?
Where does 'cute hoor' stop and criminal begin?
Does anyone even care?
If nothing else, maybe we'll at least get the answer to that final question.
You'll hear all about how 'it's best for the patient', how Professor Keane won't change his mind, how even Bertie tried to convince him but the stubborn professor just wouldn't budge.
They'll even try to convince you that they tried their best and with a defeatist shrug of their shoulders exclaim 'what else can we do?'
Good oul Fianna Fail, sure they did what they could and what else can you ask for?
The truth is always a good place to start.
The problem is that, truth, honesty and decency are not words you tend to associate with Fianna Fail. It seems that getting caught is their only concern. On the same day Brian Cowen hit the streets of Galway to boost the flagging Lisbon campaign, his predecessor is beguiling the rest of the nation with his unbelievable luck at the track. All this fuss over 'a few quid and sure didnt he win it after all'.
So where do you start?
Is it even possible to penetrate this cult of dishonesty?
Where does 'cute hoor' stop and criminal begin?
Does anyone even care?
If nothing else, maybe we'll at least get the answer to that final question.
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