Sir, – In January the Minister for Health promised that an official Government “review of small hospitals” would be published imminently. Three months have passed, and this document appears to have quietly vanished.
I believe the agenda here is clear. The HSE, aided and abetted by Hiqa, is hell bent on closing at least half a dozen A E departments across the State. Unfortunate patients attending these facilities will be forced to join the trolley count in distant, often filthy, and frequently overcrowded “centres of excellence” which will not be provided with sufficient beds to cope with the extra demand.
In order to defend this, Hiqa will trot out the laughable “patient safety” argument, whereby, through the selective use of atypical cases (eg – massive trauma) and limited evidence, it contends that elderly people are better off on a trolley 50 miles away rather than in a local hospital bed. This then allows cowardly politicians to pretend such appalling decisions are in the best interests of their constituents.
Any medical professional can see through this manipulation. The vast majority of patients, with common illnesses requiring admission, are treated to an excellent standard in smaller hospitals throughout the State. Despite years of effort, innuendo and propaganda, the HSE has never been able to prove otherwise. Yet it continues in its endless quest to downgrade and destroy these facilities.
The truth is that our Government, given a straight choice between financing “jobs for life” for 17,000 administrators and retaining local hospital services, will inevitably target the patient rather than create conflict with the trade unions.
I have no doubt the HSE spin department are already working on ridiculous “safety” based arguments to support the looming report. I also strongly suspect that the delay in publishing this document is deliberately intended to minimise anti-Government sentiment in the run-up to the fiscal treaty referendum. We may well see it emerge in the immediate aftermath of that vote.
Those involved should hang their heads in shame. – Yours, etc,
