Health Service Deficit may exceed €1.1 billion

[Hazlitt]

Source: Drumm says health service deficit may exceed €1.1 billion - The Irish Times - Mon, Feb 23, 2009

The deficit faced by the Health Service Executive (HSE) this year could be more than €1.1 billion, the head of the HSE Prof Brendan Drumm has said.

There have been people in other threads today talking about government-run universal healthcare, but considering the billions the government have pumped into the health service, and the states track record of running any service, can you trust them or any other government with running the health service?

Is our health system too important to be left in the hands of the government?

[Oblivion]

Considering the billions the government have pumped into the health service, and the states track record of running any service, can you trust them or any other government with running the health service?

The government has f*cked up the finances - but what alternative would you suggest? An American-style, medical insurance system?

[Question R24U]

Source: Drumm says health service deficit may exceed €1.1 billion - The Irish Times - Mon, Feb 23, 2009



There have been people in other threads today talking about government-run universal healthcare, but considering the billions the government have pumped into the health service, and the states track record of running any service, can you trust them or any other government with running the health service?

Is our health system too important to be left in the hands of the government?

Running the Health Service is not in the hands of the Government. Where have you been for the last few years? The HSE runs it. The government funds them.

[turdsl]

The government has f*cked up the finances - but what alternative would you suggest? An American-style, medical insurance system?

You would just require a thoiseach who was not beholden to the wealthy and an efficent Minister of Health over the last 10 years

[Hazlitt]

The government has f*cked up the finances - but what alternative would you suggest? An American-style, medical insurance system?

Well, for starters I think all the hospitals should be privatised. Get government out of the medical sector altogether.

Working Visas for foreign doctors, nurses etc to come and work here.

Abolish barriers to entry for medical students and doctors licenses.

Tax incentives for medical teaching institutions and new hospital startups etc. But also tax breaks for all private Irish citizens who invest in the newly privatised hospitals and any new startups...

[mmrebel]

Well, for starters I think all the hospitals should be privatised. Get government out of the medical sector altogether.

But also tax breaks for all private Irish citizens who invest in the newly privatised hospitals and any new startups...

so your saying a health service for profit like the states rather than a health service that puts the needs of the people 1st. what about people who cant afford to pay in these private hospitals ??

[Hazlitt]

so your saying a health service for profit like the states rather than a health service that puts the needs of the people 1st. what about people who cant afford to pay in these private hospitals ??

Hi mmrebel,

Suppose you'd have to ask the doctors/institutions that!

Adam Smith said it more eloquently than I could: "...it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker that we get our daily bread.."

Competition will drive prices down and improve the delivery and quality of services, the same as any other industry.

Proper unhampered market competition between health insurers also would help poorer people.

[Pauli]

Hi mmrebel,

Suppose you'd have to ask the doctors/institutions that!

Adam Smith said it more eloquently than I could: "...it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker that we get our daily bread.."

Competition will drive prices down and improve the delivery and quality of services, the same as any other industry.

Proper unhampered market competition between health insurers also would help poorer people.

The theory is brilliant. The reality is 50,000,000+ people in the USA with no health insurance because it is unaffordable. Like Communism, it doesn't work.

[cyberianpan]

One thing:

Irrespective of the philosophy of private or public : there's cultural change required

Even in private hospitals the operational management is weak , responsibilities blurred etc

Consultants seem to be the only ones with high grade medical knowledge & ability - yet they have no staff. I've watched them over the past while & the nurses belong to a nurse manager ... most junior doctors cover out of hours/house doctoring ...

There's a tier of management missing in hospitals - senior doctors.

cYp

[jc_ie]

Running the Health Service is not in the hands of the Government. Where have you been for the last few years? The HSE runs it. The government funds them.

Sorry nope.

Not letting you away with that. The HSE is nothing more then a sh*t screen for Mary Harney to divest herself of any personal responabilty of the heath system. Mary Harney is in turn a sh*t screen for FF TDs for the same reason.

It is not good enough to claim that they only fund them and claim to have no responabilty in how that funding is used.

The buck stops with someone either Cowan or Harney. Like the regulators there is too much of this "Its not to do with me we have a quango for that" attitude allowed these days.

On a side note. Does that mean Drumm will have to hand back his 80k bonus he got?