February 19th, 2016

Fianna Fáil candidate for Dublin Fingal Senator Darragh O’Brien maintains that there is clear bias within the HSE against north county Dublin as services continue to be eroded.

“The delay by the HSE in opening the new ambulance base in Swords, leaving 300,000 citizens served by just one single Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance, is indicative of a HSE mind-set that continues to exclude families in the North County from the provision of adequate and proper medical facilities.

“The proposed changes in maternity hospital services which will see the Rotunda move to Blanchardstown, Holles St. moved to Vincent’s and the Coombe to St. James’ is going to create enormous hardship for northside mothers and families.

“Traditionally, the majority of northside mothers have attended either Holles St. or the Rotunda, and local Dublin Bus services have greatly facilitated families at those important times. The locating of the new National Children’s Hospital in St. James’ also poses enormous travel and parking difficulties for northside parents with very sick children, trying to make their way through rush-hour city-centre traffic to a totally congested site.

“But there is a much wider health context, and we in Fianna Fáil have a comprehensive set of measures to address all those different aspects of health-service provision.


 

Fíanna Fáil proposals for our health services
Community

• Fundamental shift in health towards primary and community care.
• Expansion of free GP care based on means.
• Enhanced role for nursing and more nurses recruited.
• More treatment of chronic illness in community setting.
• Expanded role for community pharmacists.
• Abolition of €2.50 prescription charges.
• Reduce threshold for the Drug Payment Scheme to €120 a month.

Care

• 500 additional therapists
• 5,000 extra home care packages and more home help hours
• 800 extra Fair Deal places in 2016.
• Paediatric/Palliative Care Packages for Young Children

Hospitals

• Treatments and diagnostics in hospitals to work on a 7-day basis.
• National Treatment Purchase Fund to address waiting list crisis
• Waiting Times within international benchmark of 6 months.
• Immediate plans to double the size of Dublin’s A & Es

National

• Retain HSE as the basis of a national health service.
• A strong public health system, funded from taxation.
• A National Mental Health Authority.
• National Respiratory Disease Strategy to tackle lung diseases.
• Assign National Procurement Office task of medicine pricing negotiations
• Increased supports for people with dementia.
• An end to Alcohol Sponsorship of Sport.
• Set up Office of Alcohol Control to address harmful consumption.
• 20% tax on sugar sweetened drinks (SSDs) to tackle obesity.
• Dedicated unit within the Department of Health to examine the potential health impact of policies proposed by other departments.