Simon Harris' dismissal of a care worker gave a real insight into how Irish society works. Many care workers are known as Section 39 workers and are employed by voluntary organisations. They are not even covered by social partnership pay awards. It is all a hangover from the days when the bishops ran Ireland and the state stepped back to allow charity organisations to function. FF and FG have used this model to deny disabled people proper social rights.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are also cutting back on proper staffing levels in our health system. People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett said 'Back in early September I was shocked when I first heard reports from a workers in St Michael’s Hospital in Dún Laoghaire that they were seriously worried about staffing levels and patient safety across the hospital.
‘Once I started to raise the issue in the Dáil and in the media, I was contacted by other health service workers across the city about similar issues in their hospitals.
‘The imposition of a "pay and numbers" staff ceiling means the staffing crisis will continue, the scandal of hospital waiting lists will continue, and the chaos in our emergency departments will continue. Even with unprecedented resources available to them, the government has no intention of tackling the waiting lists and chronic staff shortages.
'The INMO has been balloting its members for industrial action on the pay and numbers strategy, and the announcement of the result of the ballot is expected in the coming days.
‘Safe staffing saves lives, and People Before Profit will stand with nurses, midwives and all health service workers fighting for safe staffing and quality health care.'
Deputy Gino Kenny said 'The Health Services suffer from historic underspending, capacity constraints, a lack of universal primary care entitlements, and long waiting times. We have one of the lowest acute bed densities in the EU and the sixth lowest number of specialist doctors in the OECD. We suffer from a shortage of GPs and other healthcare staff. Over 700,000 people are on a waiting list of some kind and more than two thirds have been waiting for longer than the target time.'
In our two-tier health system, those who can afford private health insurance get access to care while those who can’t struggle to have their needs met. If the current government stays in power private healthcare will be part of the Irish health system for the foreseeable future.
People Before Profit wants a single tier system where patients are treated on the basis of need, and services are provided free at the point of delivery. In our election manifesto, we call for the introduction of free primary health care, including GP care for all, abolition of charges and fees across the health sector and to add 1,000 permanent acute beds with the appropriate additional staff required. These would be just some of the initial steps towards creating a single tier NHS providing free healthcare based on need and not the size of a wallet.
We also call for an additional €500 million to be invested in mental health services. The mental health service remains in a shocking state with almost no mental health services available in primary care, and very long waiting lists for CAMHS and other mental health services. Investment in mental health services in Ireland is at about half the international standard. This needs to be addressed urgently.