With the surge of the third wave of the pandemic hospitals and healthcare workers have come under immense strain once again.
In the south, with close to 2000 people hospitalised with Covid-19 and 200 in ICU, hospitals are now operating in “surge capacity”, with nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals stretched to a dangerous extent and other care postponed.
The government have done little to increase healthcare capacity or staffing in the period between the first wave and now. As a result, they have entered into another bad deal with private hospitals, where the state will pay a premium for up to 30% of spare private capacity.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation spoke for all of us when they called for Emergency Nationalisation of private hospitals as an alternative to this deal. Private hospital groups have made a lot of money of the pandemic already, and a lot more off the back of our failing two tier system before the pandemic struck.
We believe the time is right to push towards a single-tier and fully public hospital system as part of a transition to a new All Ireland National Health Service, where people get access to care on the basis of medical necessity, rather than insurance status or ability to pay.
Joining us to discuss the case for Nationalisation are:
- Phil Ní Sheaghdha – General Secretary, Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO)
- Prof. Veronica O’Keane – Consultant Psychiatrist (TUH), Professor of Psychiatry TCD, member of CAINHS organising committee
#AllIrelandNHSNow #HealthcareForAll #NationaliseThePrivateHospitals