Saturday, December 11, 2010
Corruption at the top of the HSE
There is no doubt that the people of Louth and Dundalk in particular are angered at losing the A&E acute services in The Louth County hospital. This is not new news. Although the HSE claims that the closure was in the best, long term interests of the people most Louth citizens have no faith in the organisations ability to serve their interests. Usually people base this premise on the fact that acute A&E services were removed but the truth about whose interests the HSE serve is even worse than most can imagine.
This article will highlight three facts about the HSE that are shocking and reveal that the interests being served by the organisation are the interests of the rich and powerful. Over the next few paragraphs we will look at three people whose links with the HSE are to say the very least questionable.
Firstly, let’s start with Mary Harney’s husband Brian Geoghegan. When Harney was minister for Trade and Employment she appointed her husband as head of FAS. We all know what happened to FAS afterwards and we all know about the tens of thousands they wasted on foreign trips, using the government jet on a number of occasions. After destroying FAS Geoghegan got a new job, this time for a company called MKC communications, a company that lobbies on behalf of private health firms. Funny enough it wasn’t long before this that Harney was made minister for health. As we all know Harney has advocated the privatisation of health services for many years now and there is a clear conflict of interest between her role as Minister for Health and her husband’s role. Conflicts of interest within the HSE do not end there however.
Frank Dolphin is the new chairman of the HSE but this is not his only role. Dolphin is also the part owner of Rigney Dolphin the staffing agency. Most people in Dundalk would associate Rigney Dolphin as recruiters for companies like local employers Vodafone however they are also one of the biggest providers of agency staff to the HSE. As chairman of the HSE the glaring conflict of interest is sickening. Dolphin’s appointment is quite recent and as such reflects the complete lack of concern that the HSE has for the tax payers who essentially fund the organisation. In a time when transparency, accountability and fairness are the national buzzwords the HSE and Harney in particular just don’t seem to care what people think.
The final example of conflicts of interest within the HSE is the case of Eugene McCague who also sits on the board of the HSE. McCague is also the chairman of a law firm called Arthur Cox. Arthur Cox one might recall sealed the contracts for NAMA with a guarantee of fees twice that within the actual NAMA legislation. Recently Arthur Cox, the law firm, has been identified by the HSE as their law firm of preference even though they are well know for charging extravagant rates for their services. Although Eugene McCague claims not to have been involved in any contractual negotiations between his law firm and the HSE, it is quite clear that his position on the board of the HSE conflicts with his role as chair of Arthur Cox.
As promised at the beginning of this article, three glaring examples of conflict of interest have been outlined. Each example cited relates to a chair/representative of a private firm sitting on the board of the HSE whilst their firm is engaged by the very same organisation. It is clear then that Mary Harney’s privatisation agenda does not only involve the closure of hospitals and disproportionate subsidisation of private firms but goes as far as placing the heads of these private firms firmly in the driving seat of our public health system.
People Before Profit ask that all those eligible to vote choose parties or independents who are whole heartedly behind the de-privatisation of our health system and the development of universal and free health care for all paid for through general taxation. Let’s put an end to this corruption soon.
Written by FM.