Ireland’s first private A&E clinic opens in Dublin

[rocketman]

Ireland’s first private A&E clinic opens in Dublin
24/11/2005 - 13:46:02

The Tanaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney has officially opened Ireland's first private accident and emergency clinic in the Dundrum area of Dublin.

The centre will be run by the VHI in partnership with The Well, a private medical company based in the capital.

It will provide treatment to people with minor emergency injuries or illnesses, but will not provide the same level of service as regular hospital A&E units.

Visits will cost €85 and are not available to medical card holders.

Ms Harney has said he hopes the facility can help alleviate pressure on public hospital A&E departments.


Jausus..... what next????

[watch-this-drive]

Why is this such a bad thing?

[Libero]

Visits will cost €85 and are not available to medical card holders.

It's not that visits are not available to medical card holders, just that they have to pay at least €85 along with everyone else.

The founders of the facility claim that they would be happy to treat medical card holders if, like other hospitals, the government cuts a deal with them to fund such treatment.

[agora]

Generally if you can afford to pay €85 for a visit to the doctor you don't need a medical card, so these people are in fact excluded. It is sad that Free Market Mary's solution to our joke of a health system is to provide facilities that are beyond the reach of many ordinary people. But then it would seem that the idea of providing medical care on the basis of need, rather than ability to pay is becoming an outdated notion in our neoliberal paradise.

[Libero]

Generally if you can afford to pay €85 for a visit to the doctor you don't need a medical card, so these people are in fact excluded.

No, they are not in fact excluded - though it's obvious that those on low incomes are far less likely to make use of the facility because of its prices.

It is sad that Free Market Mary's solution to our joke of a health system is to provide facilities that are beyond the reach of many ordinary people.

1. Her Department is not providing the facility.
2. This kind of facility is not her "solution" to the problems in the health system.

[agora]

Generally if you can afford to pay €85 for a visit to the doctor you don't need a medical card, so these people are in fact excluded.

No, they are not in fact excluded - though it's obvious that those on low incomes are far less likely to make use of the facility because of its prices.

It is sad that Free Market Mary's solution to our joke of a health system is to provide facilities that are beyond the reach of many ordinary people.

1. Her Department is not providing the facility.
2. This kind of facility is not her "solution" to the problems in the health system.

She (and thus by extension her department) is endorsing the project. I think it's reasonable to conclude from this that she sees this sort of thing as a solution to the health care crisis. How you can say that people on low incomes are not excluded is ridiculous. They may not be de jure excluded, but certainly de facto they are as high prices will be an effective barrier to them availing of the facilities. As regards the suggestion that a deal might be cut with them regarding medical card holders, it's quite probable that such a deal would involve Harney paying even more for such patients than would normally be the case as the company tries to screw as much profit as possible out of the state, just as the consultants have done.

[qtman]

1. Her Department is not providing the facility.
2. This kind of facility is not her "solution" to the problems in the health system.

That's a fair point, but from a political point of view, it was pretty dumb to be seen opening this. The connotations are obvious:

"Government charges patients €85 for A&E visits".

She would have been better off steering clear of it.

And I'm not sure about the VHI's role. They're a semi-state after all, so there is an indirect link with the State. Although if the VHI can make a couple of quid out of it, what harm.

[kerrynorth]

Apparently it deals with only minor stuff plus sport injuries. No kids under 12 months or seriously ill people.

What kind of an A&E says, by Jasus, if you are really sick do not come here. More of a glorified clinic than an A&E.

[morryah]

This is fantastic and a huge leap forward for Ireland, but especially residents of Balally and anyone within crawling distance.

It's a great deal for the less well off. It's allows the rich and over privileged to avoid crappy public service by paying a premium for health care and leaves the main public facilities to the less well off.

Everyone's a winner.

[morryah]

What kind of an A&E says if you are really sick do not come here. More of a glorified clinic than an A&E.

It doesn't claim to be an A&E, it calls itself a 'Swiftcare Clinic'.