Madam, - Minister for Finance Brian Cowen criticises hospital consultants for delaying Government plans to reform the health service (The Irish Times, September 7th). He describes consultants as a "powerful vested interest" and alleges that we are "standing back" from the talks on the future of the health system.
Webster's Dictionary defines "vested interest" as an interest in which the holder has a strong personal commitment. The Minister is right. I, and many of my colleagues, spent six years in medical school and a further 15 years training to become medical consultants because we have a strong personal commitment to provide excellent health care.
It is accepted internationally that Ireland has some of the best nurses and best physicians in the world. These same doctors and nurses provide high-tech health care to public patients when provided with the appropriate resources by the State. But many doctors return to a consultant post in Ireland to find they are unable to deliver this cutting-edge care due to the lack of in-patient beds, operating theatre space, out-patient space, office space, or secretarial assistance.
Consultants are frequently unable to look after their sickest public patients because of a lack of beds within the acute hospitals. Sick patients cannot get into hospital because of the delayed discharge of in-patients to the few rehabilitation facilities or the shortage of nursing-home beds or the under-resourced community services.
This problem of timely discharge of patients from hospitals is the crux of the acute hospital crisis in Ireland.
I would like to extend my invitation of June 8th and August 17th to the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, to the Minister for Finance. Mr Cowen too is welcome to join our busy team at the Mater Hospital for one day so that he too can develop a powerful vested interest in healthcare in Ireland. - Yours, etc,
Dr TIMOTHY LYNCH, Consultant Neurologist, Mater and Beaumont Hospitals, Dublin.