Sinn Féin TD Mairead Farrell has expressed alarm at how the severe escalation in the HSE’s recruitment embargo will impact patients in Galway, ansd that this is a direct consequence of the Government’s disastrous decision to deliberately underfund the health service in 2024.
She called on the Government to properly fund the health service for the remainder of 2024 and ensure that patients in Galway get the quality, timely healthcare they deserve.
“This severe escalation in the recruitment embargo is exactly what Sinn Féin warned when the Government unveiled its budget for 2024,” she said.
“It is a direct consequence of the Government’s disastrous decision to deliberately underfund the health service in 2024, and its refusal to commit the necessary funding that the health service needs to the end of this year.”I am concerned that this flawed approach by Government will have a devastating impact on healthcare locally here in Galway.
“The home care sector is already struggling massively to provide adequate care for older people in Galway. The health service must be able to hire workers as needed to meet the needs of older people. This means getting the care they need at home and getting other services in the community and in hospitals to keep up their quality of life,” added Deputy Farrell.
“We know that people struggle to get seen by a dentist in Galway with the way things are at the moment. The recruitment freeze will only put more strain on the sector and leave patients with inadequate care.
“These are essential services that are already under pressure. They are at breaking point because of the choices of this Government.“The Government must step up to the mark to properly fund the health service the remainder of this year, so patients in Galway get the timely, high-quality healthcare that they deserve,” she said.
Dep Farrell feels this will have a severe impact on the safety of care and will press staff into unsafe conditions and into an extreme level of burnout.
“This will cause even more staff to want to leave the health service at the first opportunity. On top of this, the Government’s decisions mean that the HSE is now forced to withdraw job offers which have already been made. This is a cynical act of bad faith towards people who went through months-long recruitment processes and who will now be told that their job is not there at a time when we desperately need them.
“This decision and the underfunding of the health service must be urgently reversed. The longer Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain in office, the worse the health service gets. It’s time for change. Sinn Féin in government would stand up for patients and healthcare workers to ensure the health service in Galway gets the funding and resources needed,” she concluded.
