Who Owns Irish Healthcare?

That is the theme of an excellent conference to be held here in Ennis. I recommend that anyone who gets the chance should go and hear the presentations to be given on this important issue on Friday 19th May next. There will be no charge to members of the public who wish to attend.
The Irish public health system was based on the social notion that the national health system was to be provided through taxation, as a form of insurance where the healthy and able bodied paid for those who needed care, in the knowledge that at some time in the future they too would need care.
The conference seeks to explore if indeed the current system is fulfilling that ideal, and if the emergence of “for profit“ hospitals will enhance or threaten the public health system.
There are some that argue that while there are private health insurance companies operating in the Irish market there will be concern about equity between public and private patients accessing services in public hospitals. Data from the ESRI in 2001 showed that, between 1999 and 2000, admissions of private patients to public hospitals grew twice as fast as admissions of public patients. This was irrespective of whether patients were admitted on a planned, emergency, or a day basis. Private patients accounted for 30% of elective (planned) even though only 20% of public hospital beds nationally were designated as private.
Citizens have every right to pay private health insurance and be treated accordingly and as it appears there were not enough beds in the public health sector to cater for them, private hospitals had to be built.
But the problem here is Accident and Emergency and the fact that the private hospitals in the business of making money do not provide a fully functioning A & E with back up from an acute medical and intensive care bed compliment. The fear is that the private hospitals may erode the resources available at A & Es across the country. Accident and Emergency situations occur regardless of status or wealth and if a trauma situation cannot be stabilised at an effective A & E all the private hospital beds in the country will be of little use. Please support the conference.