A jointly published policy paper by Protestant and Catholic organisations has called for an end to the co-location plan and has called for greater accountability by the HSE.The paper The Irish Health Service: Vision, Values, Reality has been prepared by the Adelaide Hospital Society and the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and claims that the co-location plan “represents a significant threat to the fundamental values of care and justice” and “sends out a powerful message about government backing and support for the existing two-tier hospital system”.
In the position paper the organisations also call for the wide extension of medical card eligibility and eventually the provision of primary care free at the point of delivery for the whole population.
In calling for greater accountability by the HSE the organisations also called for increased opportunities for participation in decision making by the public and by voluntary organisations.
According to Dr Fergus O’Ferrall, Director of the Adelaide Hospital Society the co-location proposal “promotes the perception and the reality that healthcare is just another commodity to be bought and sold” and he pointed out that even though these hospitals would be built only with the backing of significant public subsidies, the State would not even be a co-owner of them.
Fr Tony O’Riordan SJ, Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, said it was essential that those negotiating a new programme for government should “commit to a new vision and a clear set of values for our health service which will ensure that every person is treated on the basis of their need rather than their financial status”.
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