Letters to the Editor, June 9th: On relatives in Gaza, minding your manners and Elvis
Sir, – Each morning after digesting updates of the relentless escalation of massacres in Gaza I go to work to continue my job as a junior doctor.
I paint a smile on my face and feign optimism to help those in our hospitals with their own illnesses. I tell myself that I am doing all I can to help those around me, both here and abroad. I push the thoughts of the inhumane killing of thousands of babies out of my mind, while I focus on what, and who, is in front of me.
I reassure myself that this is the right thing to do; the patients here also require my care and attention.
As I greet my colleagues throughout the morning I cannot but be ashamed when looking in the eyes of one particular friend and colleague. This young doctor is from Palestine and moved to Ireland a number of years ago while his family remain trapped in Gaza.
READ MORE
I once again suppress the anger and disgust that I feel for our Government by our lack of action.
Why should this young doctor continue to treat and care for our families while we are sitting watching his burn? – Yours, etc,
GRÁINNE YOUNG,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Paul Kearns's article ('
The beaches here in Israel are full. Just an hour's drive away, Palestinians are starving',
June 7th,) is telling, frightening and saddening.
The evidence he cites from his conversations with his Israeli friends about what is going on in Gaza displays a powerful ideological complex at work.
Many Israelis, on Mr Kearns's evidence, believe that there 'are no innocents in Gaza', 18,000 dead children notwithstanding.
Many Israelis believe that Hamas uses 'human shields' and they deduce from this that Palestinians and Hamas in particular do not value human life as much as Israel does.
Even if that is the case, how then does one explain the ferocious ratio the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is prepared to tolerate of civilian to combatant deaths. Dozens, even hundreds, of Palestinian deaths are permissible to kill one Hamas leader.
One is led to conclude, with the great American philosopher Judith Butler, that Palestinian lives are much less valuable than Israeli lives.
Many Israelis believe that Hamas 'brought this upon themselves'. This 'argument' does two kinds of work.
It detaches the current catastrophe from the longer history of the Gaza Strip and of the Occupation. And it exculpates Israel.
This exculpation has been around for a long time.
One remembers that Golda Meir, prime minister of Israel in the early 1970s, reckoned that none of the wars Israel fought were its fault.
One remembers her declaration that there is no such thing as Palestinians. And one remembers her statement that 'we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons'.
Israel kills tens of thousands of people but it's the fault of those people. – Yours, etc,
CONOR McCARTHY,
Valletta,
Malta.
Standards of care
Sir,– For families, the recent disclosures about poor standards of care for sick children in Ireland raises concerns about trust in our healthcare system.
For families of children with intellectual disability it is a double whammy. Not only is their child a sick child requiring State care and services for life, but also intellectually disabled children are disproportionately included among the numbers affected by the series of revelations about hip and spinal surgeries.
For children with intellectual disability and, in particular, children with cerebral palsy, hip and spine problems are significant issues causing pain and complications which reduce quality of life.
Surgery has been the primary treatment for hip dysplasia related to muscle spasticity and for scoliosis of the spine in children with cerebral palsy.
Intellectually disabled children and their families are one of the most vulnerable groups in Ireland, and depend on many forms of State service, including the very limited therapeutic interventions, day and respite services and residential care.
Families are continuously campaigning for improved services. Following on from the HSE failure to meet the demand for assessment of need, the revelations from Children's Health Ireland (CHI) about unacceptable standards of surgery adds a further burden to the worries and stresses of families of disabled children. Furthermore, it has taken up to 10 months for families to be informed.
It is now time for accountability and transparency on how the huge variation in clinical practices have continued for so long. Families need to be reassured about future clinical oversight and governance.
It is unacceptable and very unfair that intellectually disabled children are so disenfranchised in terms of all forms of State services, and any outcomes of the CHI inquiries and reports must acknowledge this and make special provision for vulnerable children. – Yours, etc,
PROF SEAMUS COWMAN,
Inspire,
Trustee and board member,
Castleknock,
Dublin.
Exceptional service
Sir, – I unfortunately had to visit a major Dublin hospital very recently through the emergency department.
From the first person I met and throughout my stay and treatment the care I received can only be said to have been exceptional.
Our health service often gets rough press and undoubtedly there are issues mainly in management and governance. But at floor level, on the ward you could not be in a better place.
About 90 per cent of the staff who cared for me were not originally from Ireland but have made it their home. I believe we need them even more than they need us.
Literally our lives depend on them. Keep it in mind when you meet them on the street.
I am sure many have had the same experience as I have had.
On my way home now but thank you St Vincent's and all your wonderful staff. – Yours, etc,
PAUL MULLIGAN,
Dublin 6.
Minding your manners
Sir, – I am over 66 years of age and entitled to free travel which I regularly avail of and enjoy.
Last year I boarded the busy Maynooth train which had no seats available. I didn't mind and was happy to stand with my earphones in, listening to music. I vaguely noted the young man beside me raising his voice. He did so a second time and I heard him say: 'Is nobody going to give the old lady a seat?'
I looked around and was horrified to realise that he was referring to me. He repeated his plea a third time and a passenger got up and gave me the seat. My young man looked at me and said: 'There you are love. Your feet must be killing you.'
I was mildly amused and regaled my friends with the story for weeks afterwards.
Last week I returned from a hillwalking holiday in England and boarded the packed Maynooth train again.
I was overdressed for the hot Irish afternoon, wearing my hiking boots, hiking coat and long trousers.
Once again there was no seat available. My wheelie case and small backpack were a nuisance at every stop and I was hot and bothered.
To add insult to injury a young woman beat me to a seat which became vacant along the route.
I reflected on my experience a year ago and wondered where my gallant hero was when I needed him. – Yours, etc,
MARY FOLEY,
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – As I approach my 68th birthday this August, I find myself reflecting on an incident that occurred this week aboard the Luas.
I took the last available seat, only to be loudly berated by a young woman in her early 20s for, in her words, 'not being a gentleman'.
Over the years, like many others, I've tried to be considerate – offering my seat when someone clearly needed it more.
But now, with age making its presence felt in my knees, back and balance, I wonder at what age is a man allowed to sit down without being judged?
Courtesy should go both ways. Perhaps we should teach our young people that respect isn't just something to be demanded – it's also something to be given, especially to those who've earned it over a lifetime. – Yours, etc,
DONAL McKENNA,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Trump and Musk
Sir, – As a self-professed empathetic, honourable, peace-loving, self-aware but mostly super smart person, Donald Trump erred bigly when he gave Elon Musk the house key.
But if they kiss and make up, which in their mutual interest they surely must, I suggest they fulfil their stated desire to go to Mars.
For all our sakes let it be a one-way ticket. – Yours, etc,
EITHNE MacFADDEN,
Carrigart,
Co Donegal.
Elvis is back in the building
Sir, – My tenacity has finally paid off and my 18-inch statue of Elvis at 13, previously owned by Priscilla Presley, is now on show in the U2 room of the Little Museum of Dublin.
The original life-sized bronze statue of Elvis at 13 is located quite close to Elvis's birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, at my suggestion in a letter to the mayor, Larry Otis.
A great coup for Ireland.
The story appeared in The Irish Times and the Daily Journal of Tupelo etc, way back in 2002.
So forgive me Bono.
Elvis is back in the building. – Yours, etc,
MAURICE COLGAN,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
Planning regulations
Sir , – I refer to Margaret Farrell's letter of June 7th, complaining bitterly about the proposed relaxation of some planning regulations.
I suggest if she was a 30 year old still living in her childhood bedroom, she might have a different view. – Yours, etc,
JOHN LOMBARD,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Children's health crisis will roll on until there is transparency about how public money is spent
The fallout concerning the use of funding from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in a Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospital continues. The story that emerged in the media over a week ago painted a picture of a rolling crisis, after a confidential internal report raised concerns about abuse of waiting lists and a toxic work culture . That report will now be referred to gardaí by the HSE. The report in question focused on five special weekend outpatient clinics for 179 children carried out by a consultant at a public hospital. These clinics were funded by the NTPF and the consultant received €35,800 for seeing the patients. However, the report questions whether the young patients could have been seen during the consultant's HSE contracted hours or referred to his colleagues. There were also concerns about potential clinical failures regarding vulnerable children, who may have been left waiting longer than they should have been for important treatment. READ MORE And yet again, the report raises serious questions about professional ethics, conduct and clinical care in CHI, coming hot on the heels of the publication of two separate damning reports on children's orthopaedic surgery failures. We still know don't exactly what actions were taken to address the alleged potential misuse of NTPF funds and whether there may be further similar cases in CHI. The news that the report has been referred to gardaí – amid temporary pausing of NTPF funding, which is now due to be lifted 'imminently' – and promises of action and reviews, as well as the 'ongoing' roll-out of a new central referral management system for all services in CHI, suggests that there is much more to come. Whatever happens, it is unacceptable if the Department of Health , the Minister, the NTPF and the HSE were left in the dark about the whole affair until it was reported in the media, as has been suggested. We are expected to accept promises that it won't happen again, that action is being taken, and – well, you know the drill. But what about the bigger picture – oversight and transparency on how we are spending our healthcare budget, and, crucially, if it is being best used to provide care for patients? This year the HSE has a record €26.9 billion in funding , and staffing levels have increased by 23 per cent in the last five years. There are many new services, and bed numbers are continuing to grow to meet escalating demand. Our population is now 5.3 million. The Irish health system seems inexplicably reluctant to carry out routine audits and set standardised targets, as the continued large variations in productivity between services, gaps in basic performance data, and resistance to many oversight initiatives shows The question is whether we are getting the best value for money and access to services commensurate with these increases in resources. And where does the NTPF fit into all this? It was set up over 20 years ago to help relieve waiting list pressure in the public system, and was regarded by some as a sort of pressure safety valve to get public patients seen, diagnosed and treated faster; and by others as a sticking plaster for inadequate public capacity. Its budget for this year is an increased €230 million. Last year it facilitated outpatient appointments, diagnostic scans and procedures for approximately 251,000 public patients. It initially purchased appointments in the private sector for patients waiting too long on public waiting lists – known as outsourcing – but in recent years it has moved towards increased use of 'insourcing'. This is essentially overtime: using spare capacity in public hospitals over and above core activity. All governance for insourcing remains with the treating hospital, the NTPF took pains to point out last week. So it, and by extension the HSE itself, claims no responsibility for how its – or rather public – money is spent, once the forms are filled in. The NTPF does publish data on how many procedures and appointments it has paid for, which is more information than many of our health services publicly provide. And now it has written to all public hospitals with whom it funds insourcing work to obtain further confirmation that all work is carried out in line with agreed terms. There has always been the potential for abuse of NTPF funding as consultants can refer their own public patients to their private clinics, or public overtime. There is supposed to be data collection on how often this occurs, with the appropriate governance applied. And in cases where there are only one or two consultants in a highly specialised disease or geographic area, it makes sense to allow them to see these patients in a private/public overtime capacity if they are on a very long waiting list, to ensure timely access where needed and longer-term continuity of care. But surely audit and inspections of the use of NTPF funding in individual institutions should be routine? Each hospital should always be able to fully account for the need for insourcing funds, proving that its own resources, and staffing time, have been maximised under allocated HSE funding. Newer contracts for various healthcare staff allow for longer core weekday working hours and weekend work as normal, but implementation has been piecemeal in some specialities and services, despite the increased cost and staffing numbers. [ 'Fear and distrust': why children's healthcare is in crisis Opens in new window ] In this case, was the CHI hospital paying attention to how many patients were on individual consultant lists? How many they were seeing, and how long were individuals waiting before signing off the NTPF funding applications? The Irish health system seems inexplicably reluctant to carry out routine audits and set standardised targets, as the continued large variations in productivity between services, gaps in basic performance data, and resistance to many oversight initiatives shows. Last year, then-Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly presented data to the HSE board showing a significant drop in the average number of patients seen per consultant, with obvious ramifications for our long waiting lists. And in correspondence on the 2025 HSE budget, he asked the HSE to apply a standardised approach to maximising productivity through agreeing outpatient clinic targets for individual consultants, departments and specialities, and sharing data on outpatient numbers between consultants. A health minister should not have to specifically request what should be done as a matter of course. Our complicated public healthcare system, comprising public, voluntary and private overlapping services – and a combination of old and new working contracts – continues to muddy the waters of accountability and transparency. A key underpinning element of Sláintecare is the unpicking of the various conflicts and competing interests within our health service, increased governance and standardisation. Until its full implementation, whenever that is, far more oversight of all publicly funded services must be applied.
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Two HSE staff suspended with pay or on administrative leave for 11 years
Two employees in the health service have been suspended with pay or have been on administrative leave for 11 years. Another HSE staff member has been suspended with pay or on administrative leave since 2017 and another since 2018. HSE figures suggested that in 2014-2024 a total of 42 staff were suspended with pay or placed on paid administrative leave. The figures were set out by the HSE in reply to a parliamentary question tabled by Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane. READ MORE Mr Cullinane told The Irish Times he did not know why the HSE personnel had been suspended or on paid administrative leave for so long. He said he would be interested in seeing an explanation from the HSE. The HSE told Mr Cullinane in its reply that 'the cases identified are under active investigation or have some other action pending'. There are more than 130,000 staff working across the public health system in Ireland. The two cases dating to 2014 relate to personnel working in the acute hospital sector and the mental health service. A person suspended or on administrative leave since 2017 also worked in the mental health area, the table provided by the HSE indicates. A staff member suspended or placed on administrative leave since 2018 was based in the acute hospital part of the health service. Asked by The Irish Times for more details on the cases that have been under investigation in some instances since 2014 and why the processes involved have proved to be so lengthy, the HSE said it endeavoured to carry out all investigations as expediently as possible. It said this was in line with the terms of the relevant HR procedures and policies. 'Factors such as legal matters, safety, or other issues can arise which can impact the timelines. 'To maintain the privacy of the individuals involved, the HSE cannot comment on any individual case.'
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 9th: On relatives in Gaza, minding your manners and Elvis
Sir, – Each morning after digesting updates of the relentless escalation of massacres in Gaza I go to work to continue my job as a junior doctor. I paint a smile on my face and feign optimism to help those in our hospitals with their own illnesses. I tell myself that I am doing all I can to help those around me, both here and abroad. I push the thoughts of the inhumane killing of thousands of babies out of my mind, while I focus on what, and who, is in front of me. I reassure myself that this is the right thing to do; the patients here also require my care and attention. As I greet my colleagues throughout the morning I cannot but be ashamed when looking in the eyes of one particular friend and colleague. This young doctor is from Palestine and moved to Ireland a number of years ago while his family remain trapped in Gaza. READ MORE I once again suppress the anger and disgust that I feel for our Government by our lack of action. Why should this young doctor continue to treat and care for our families while we are sitting watching his burn? – Yours, etc, GRÁINNE YOUNG, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Sir, – Paul Kearns's article (' The beaches here in Israel are full. Just an hour's drive away, Palestinians are starving', June 7th,) is telling, frightening and saddening. The evidence he cites from his conversations with his Israeli friends about what is going on in Gaza displays a powerful ideological complex at work. Many Israelis, on Mr Kearns's evidence, believe that there 'are no innocents in Gaza', 18,000 dead children notwithstanding. Many Israelis believe that Hamas uses 'human shields' and they deduce from this that Palestinians and Hamas in particular do not value human life as much as Israel does. Even if that is the case, how then does one explain the ferocious ratio the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is prepared to tolerate of civilian to combatant deaths. Dozens, even hundreds, of Palestinian deaths are permissible to kill one Hamas leader. One is led to conclude, with the great American philosopher Judith Butler, that Palestinian lives are much less valuable than Israeli lives. Many Israelis believe that Hamas 'brought this upon themselves'. This 'argument' does two kinds of work. It detaches the current catastrophe from the longer history of the Gaza Strip and of the Occupation. And it exculpates Israel. This exculpation has been around for a long time. One remembers that Golda Meir, prime minister of Israel in the early 1970s, reckoned that none of the wars Israel fought were its fault. One remembers her declaration that there is no such thing as Palestinians. And one remembers her statement that 'we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons'. Israel kills tens of thousands of people but it's the fault of those people. – Yours, etc, CONOR McCARTHY, Valletta, Malta. Standards of care Sir,– For families, the recent disclosures about poor standards of care for sick children in Ireland raises concerns about trust in our healthcare system. For families of children with intellectual disability it is a double whammy. Not only is their child a sick child requiring State care and services for life, but also intellectually disabled children are disproportionately included among the numbers affected by the series of revelations about hip and spinal surgeries. For children with intellectual disability and, in particular, children with cerebral palsy, hip and spine problems are significant issues causing pain and complications which reduce quality of life. Surgery has been the primary treatment for hip dysplasia related to muscle spasticity and for scoliosis of the spine in children with cerebral palsy. Intellectually disabled children and their families are one of the most vulnerable groups in Ireland, and depend on many forms of State service, including the very limited therapeutic interventions, day and respite services and residential care. Families are continuously campaigning for improved services. Following on from the HSE failure to meet the demand for assessment of need, the revelations from Children's Health Ireland (CHI) about unacceptable standards of surgery adds a further burden to the worries and stresses of families of disabled children. Furthermore, it has taken up to 10 months for families to be informed. It is now time for accountability and transparency on how the huge variation in clinical practices have continued for so long. Families need to be reassured about future clinical oversight and governance. It is unacceptable and very unfair that intellectually disabled children are so disenfranchised in terms of all forms of State services, and any outcomes of the CHI inquiries and reports must acknowledge this and make special provision for vulnerable children. – Yours, etc, PROF SEAMUS COWMAN, Inspire, Trustee and board member, Castleknock, Dublin. Exceptional service Sir, – I unfortunately had to visit a major Dublin hospital very recently through the emergency department. From the first person I met and throughout my stay and treatment the care I received can only be said to have been exceptional. Our health service often gets rough press and undoubtedly there are issues mainly in management and governance. But at floor level, on the ward you could not be in a better place. About 90 per cent of the staff who cared for me were not originally from Ireland but have made it their home. I believe we need them even more than they need us. Literally our lives depend on them. Keep it in mind when you meet them on the street. I am sure many have had the same experience as I have had. On my way home now but thank you St Vincent's and all your wonderful staff. – Yours, etc, PAUL MULLIGAN, Dublin 6. Minding your manners Sir, – I am over 66 years of age and entitled to free travel which I regularly avail of and enjoy. Last year I boarded the busy Maynooth train which had no seats available. I didn't mind and was happy to stand with my earphones in, listening to music. I vaguely noted the young man beside me raising his voice. He did so a second time and I heard him say: 'Is nobody going to give the old lady a seat?' I looked around and was horrified to realise that he was referring to me. He repeated his plea a third time and a passenger got up and gave me the seat. My young man looked at me and said: 'There you are love. Your feet must be killing you.' I was mildly amused and regaled my friends with the story for weeks afterwards. Last week I returned from a hillwalking holiday in England and boarded the packed Maynooth train again. I was overdressed for the hot Irish afternoon, wearing my hiking boots, hiking coat and long trousers. Once again there was no seat available. My wheelie case and small backpack were a nuisance at every stop and I was hot and bothered. To add insult to injury a young woman beat me to a seat which became vacant along the route. I reflected on my experience a year ago and wondered where my gallant hero was when I needed him. – Yours, etc, MARY FOLEY, Leixlip, Co Kildare. Sir, – As I approach my 68th birthday this August, I find myself reflecting on an incident that occurred this week aboard the Luas. I took the last available seat, only to be loudly berated by a young woman in her early 20s for, in her words, 'not being a gentleman'. Over the years, like many others, I've tried to be considerate – offering my seat when someone clearly needed it more. But now, with age making its presence felt in my knees, back and balance, I wonder at what age is a man allowed to sit down without being judged? Courtesy should go both ways. Perhaps we should teach our young people that respect isn't just something to be demanded – it's also something to be given, especially to those who've earned it over a lifetime. – Yours, etc, DONAL McKENNA, Naas, Co Kildare. Trump and Musk Sir, – As a self-professed empathetic, honourable, peace-loving, self-aware but mostly super smart person, Donald Trump erred bigly when he gave Elon Musk the house key. But if they kiss and make up, which in their mutual interest they surely must, I suggest they fulfil their stated desire to go to Mars. For all our sakes let it be a one-way ticket. – Yours, etc, EITHNE MacFADDEN, Carrigart, Co Donegal. Elvis is back in the building Sir, – My tenacity has finally paid off and my 18-inch statue of Elvis at 13, previously owned by Priscilla Presley, is now on show in the U2 room of the Little Museum of Dublin. The original life-sized bronze statue of Elvis at 13 is located quite close to Elvis's birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, at my suggestion in a letter to the mayor, Larry Otis. A great coup for Ireland. The story appeared in The Irish Times and the Daily Journal of Tupelo etc, way back in 2002. So forgive me Bono. Elvis is back in the building. – Yours, etc, MAURICE COLGAN, Swords, Co Dublin. Planning regulations Sir , – I refer to Margaret Farrell's letter of June 7th, complaining bitterly about the proposed relaxation of some planning regulations. I suggest if she was a 30 year old still living in her childhood bedroom, she might have a different view. – Yours, etc, JOHN LOMBARD, Goatstown, Dublin 14.
