Health service success story

On a recent trip to support the Irish Women’s Rugby team against Italy in L’Aquila, I damaged my wrist and had to have a cast put on in a hospital in Rome.

The procedure took three hours and, as I was an EU citizen, was free.

I had to get the cast off on February 24 and was told in the local medical centre that I would have to go to A&E.

Expecting a long delay, I armed myself with enough reading material to last for hours.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to have been dealt with in 40 minutes by two doctors, one of whom had enough Italian to translate the letter from the hospital in Rome.

The Irish health service gets criticised a lot in our media.

However, I would like to give credit where credit is due and highlight my positive experience in Blanchardstown hospital. Lucy Keaveney Ratoath, Co Meath