We went into this with the longest waiting lists & lowest numbers of consultants in the EU
Now we will work in an environment of reduced capacity in all hosptials due to infection control measures (1)
But the concept of buying additional surge capacity was the right one
Optimal execution needed agility
We must do better going
Ending a deal that was costly & suboptimal in favor of a new one that will need to be optimised to max the benefit for all patients especially those with essential needs is key & credit to @SimonHarrisTD for displaying the agility & foresight to do
We must work together compassionately & inclusively so we get as many people the care they need whether with covid or non covid illnesses
We may well need private capacity for future covid surges & we will need to use all capacity optimally to meet all urgent need
We have a long way to go
I hope that many who have advocated so strongly for patients who use private hospitals will
Their needs are no less
In fact in many cases due to social determinants of health & inverse care law, they have
It was never acceptable that people wait years for care, in some cases having worse outcomes as a result
And the harsh truth is that many of us who have PHI & access to excellent elective care in private hospitals do not share the experience of those
It is also true that the public system does the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to complex expansive care be it stroke or rehabilitation & thus the private sector benefits from this
And as IHCA VP I represent all consultants not just my new entrant kin
But as a doctor & as a patient advocate I have a duty to be very clear about the truth
Timely access to quality care is a right for all
And those of us with privilege have a duty to use that for the common good
All of us must be better & do better
The change starts with us
He takes a lot of heat for his career long advocacy for all patients & he’s one of the most decent principled people I have ever met
If you find yourself on the opposite side of an argument from him it’s worth pressing pause & listening
But it’s a choice we have to make to work together, with agility, flexibility & compassion to make it work
And then start to trust
And take it from there
But we can’t go back to the dogs dinner of a mess we had before
People deserve better
Otherwise this in it together was an exercise in civil compliance not solidarity