Local councillor’s call to abolish HSE is the right one

SIR,

The population of Wales is 3,063,456 (2018) and its NHS budget is £6bn or €6,693,561. The NHS is free to all.

The population of Ireland is 4,803,748 (2018) and the HSE budget is €14.5bn. Services are free to medical-card holders, of which there are 1,578,015.

No wonder a Kerry county councillor is calling on the Taoiseach to abolish the HSE.

Councillor Michael Cahill says the country is in the midst of the biggest health crisis in the history of the state and says action is needed.

He says the Government must introduce a system with proper and professional management.

I believe he is 100 per cent correct. There is a drastic difference in the budgets shown and the number of people entitled to free care at the point of delivery.

The question is: ‘Is the HSE fit for pupose?’ Increasing number of patients are waiting on trollies; this is not the fault of hospital staff.

It appears the senior management of the HSE has no idea of what it is like at hospital level and that there is a total failure to connect with front-line staff. Sincerely,

Thomas Myles Harpur, Address with the Editor.