Health system needs resources not the burden of abortion

SIR, Yet again we see another Minister for Health squirm in mid winter as the underfunded HSE struggles to cope with the annual mid winter surge in illness.

Every year we hear from Ministers of Health that they are on top of the job or that they have a new report to present that will solve the issue. This year we even got an apology from our current Minister for Health, Simon Harris, about the shocking overcrowding. Surely this annual increase is predictable, can be planned for and can be managed with consideration for the dignity of these unfortunate patients.

Yet, despite its predictability, it seems to me that Simon Harris’s priority is not for the unfortunate citizens stuck on trolleys, but to introduce an additional burden on our under-funded, under-resourced and broken health service. Yes, his priority seems to be to add in excess of 5,000 abortions per annum to our already overstretched hospitals, never mind the inevitable additional demands to the follow-on services that will be required in our psychiatric services to deal with the trauma of abortions.

Surely Minister Harris could make better use of the tax payers’ funds by increasing our hospitals’ capacity and employing more doctors, nurses and allied staff. Sincerely, Catherine Treacy, Castletroy,

Co. Limerick.