A new organisation formed to fight the health cuts is urging people to take part in a protest rally at the end of the month.
The event being organised by the “Galway Says No to Health Cuts” group will take place on Saturday September 25. People will assemble at the Cathedral at 2pm for a march to University Hospital Galway.
Dette McLoughlin, one of the founders of the group, says it aims to establish a broad, city-wide campaign of health workers, patients, trade unions and communities.
“We want people to come together to say that ‘enough is enough’. People will have an opportunity at the protest to demonstrate over all of the attacks on our hospitals and community health services, from ward closures to home-help cutbacks.
“One hundred and fifteen beds are empty between Galway University and Merlin Park hospitals according to the official figures for July 2010. There are now an alarming 29,974 people awaiting treatment on outpatient waiting lists between these two public hospitals.
“Decent health care is a right and a necessity. It should not be used to maximise the profits of private health clinics and insurance companies. As the recent attempted cuts to respite care in Galway and around the country have shown, these are not just isolated one-off cuts that the health service can easily recover from.
“Instead, this is part of a sustained attack on our public health services. The 1,000 health care jobs and a whole hospital currently at stake are not by any means the extent of the cutbacks. In fact, they are only the beginning with a further €700 million expected to be cut from the health budget in the next Government announcements in December.”
She says Government claims that there is no money to fund the public health system is “wearing thin”.
“When we look at the issue of HSE West accommodation we discover that 70 buildings in Galway city and county are being rented by the HSE West. Rental for just two of these buildings alone costs €1.2 million annually. At the same time, buildings purchased by the HSE West and the former Western Health Board remain empty, for example, No 1 The Mass Path. This building was purchased in 2000 and has remained empty ever since. Added to this is the fact that there are acres of unused land in Merlin Park. That could be utilised which would create building jobs.”
Meanwhile the Labour Party spokesperson on health, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan claims the HSE West is planning to decimate community care services in a desperate bid to slash €65m from its budget.
Speaking following a meeting with Labour Party public representatives from the region and a protest outside University Hospital Galway on Saturday morning, Deputy O’Sullivan said the most vulnerable were going to be hit by the HSE plans.
“It’s becoming clear that HSE management in the west, as well as targeting acute services has now begun focusing on the more vulnerable sections of the health system.
“It has come to my attention that community care is being seen as the ‘soft’ area to cut. Thousands of hours are being cut from home help and other vital community care areas are being hammered.
“Patients are going to suffer enormously as a result of what is being planned and I’m calling on Health Minister Mary Harney to intervene to avoid an implosion of health services in the west.”
Ms O’Sullivan says Minister Harney must have regard for people who depend on these vital services.
“She must ensure that their health needs will be met. We cannot ‘slash and burn’ and forget about the impact it is having on vulnerable patients.
“Fianna Fail once warned that cuts hurt the old, the sick and the handicapped. It seems clear now that Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister Harney have long forgotten their own words.
“Already 750 posts are gone in nursing and midwifery alone in the HSE West - up to 1,000 other posts are threatened, most of them frontline. Managers are put in the ludicrous position of having to pay extra for agency workers because they are not allowed to hire directly, thus putting more pressure on their budgets. This is sheer madness, particularly in the context where the HSE West has also talked of a further 200 job cuts.”
