Chaos in the health service is like a scene from a war zone

SIR, On the Clare Byrne show last week various problems regarding bed shortages in hospitals were discussed. Why was it allowed to get so bad when everyone involved knew well what was coming up? Why is the finance that is measured in billions being used so badly? Why is there an apparent lack proper planning and coordination of these funds?.

Various types of planning in the health boards has lead only to confusion and waste of valuable resources. No one it seems is capable of steering this ship on a correct course.

Emergency ambulances queuing up outside A & E departments because there is not sufficient staff to deal with the critical cases that need immediate attention, resulting in others having to wait for hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Among those interviewed was a surgeon who felt distraught at having to play ‘God’ every day. When looking at the number of patients who needed intensive critical beds and finding the number short he had to decide who should get one.

It almost seems as though we are in a war situation where supplies have to be rationed out to the wounded. The surgeon of course has live with his decisions. One wonders for how long they can go on under such pressures?

We can only live in hope that we will not need to call for an ambulance. I think that a lot of people will consider putting off their continental holidays and invest in health insurance. Sincerely, Michael O’Meara, Faha, Killarney.