Just follow these simple steps to ensure disaster
HERE’S my recipe for disaster (when building a children’s hospital).
Firstly toss away the original cost of construction into a deep dish and cover with at least a billion euro.
Ladle out under-cooked reasons why the expenditure has risen so much without clarifying why.
Dissolve any confidence in the projects management with a good dollop of freshly baked up cobblers and hogwash.
Act the yoke if being grilled about the over run.
If possible sift the entire blame and look for a scapegoat.
Garnish explanations with a decent sprinkling of ground fairy dust. Finally, make sure no matter what happens you get a massive wedge, even though it has been a complete hash from start to finish.
Next week, how to whip up searing discontent in the nursing profession. Vincent O’Connell, New Ross, Co. Wexford.
…MORE than ever we need a strong, professional media to keep an eye on our Government and the powers-that-be to ensure taxpayers’ taxes are spent well.
Unfortunately, it looks like the cost of building the National Children’s Hospital was escalating with few checks to almost €2bn – until media pressure embarrassed the Government into action.
Finland built a children’s hospital that was built for far less in the last few years, as an example of who we could learn from on best practice.
Mary Sullivan,
…HOW long more do we have to endure our nurses and other medical staff – whom we cannot live without – picketing for proper working environments and schedules, and realistic salaries – a human right?
Have we ever seen a TD having to picket for salary increases? Their needs are seen to and the public then read about it in the newspapers after the event.
All our Dáil members should take their seats in the chamber. A film by Ken Loach, I, Daniel Blake, and one by Roddy Doyle, Rosie, should be put on a loop and all should be compelled to watch until they have grasped the reality unfolding before them.
How can they understand the needs of the nation while sitting comfortably in Dáil Éireann behind bulletproof glass and soundproof walls, oblivious to demonstrations outside?
Anne Byrne, by email. …THE costs of the health service in this country can be attributed to the over-reliance on nursing, where a nurse is called in for menial tasks that a ward attendant could do at a cheaper rate.
The system should have more ward attendants and fewer nurses. The costs of the health service is colossal and requires an overhaul of magnitude to ensure it is meeting the needs of patients.
But will the Government grasp the nettle and focus on this aspect of health service? Liam Ó Conaire, Bruff, Co. Limerick. Enda’s old mantra AROUND the time of the 2011 general election, Enda Kenny often repeated the mantra: ‘Political accountability and transparency are lacking in Ireland and my party intends to rectify this anomoly.’
Considering the situations that were later to evolve under the stewardship of the ministers appointed by Kenny, including some of the undercover developments that have since taken place in Justice and now in Health (cervical cancer screening controversy and the children’s hospital escalating costs debacles) it seems Kenny’s colleagues in Fine Gael were either not listening to his promise about openness or never intended to act on his promises.
It seems that nobody is responsible for anything any more, as long as the taxpayer has deep pockets to pay the bills for each ensuing costly outcome.
Tom Baldwin, Midleton, Co. Cork.
My true age
FOLLOWING the Taoiseach’s example, I attended my local pharmacy to have my ‘metabolic age’ measured.
After a series of tests, I was informed that the age in question was estimated at 11.
I was delighted to discover that I had such a youthful and vigorous metabolism, more than four decades younger than my actual age.
Imagine then, my disappointment to be subsequently contacted by the pharmacy to inform me that there had been an error.
Instead of measuring my metabolic age as requested, they had mistakenly measured my ‘mental age’. It explains a lot!
John O’Sullivan, Carrigaline, Co. Cork.