Does the HSE get an unfair press?

24% YES 76% NO

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• What must be borne in mind is the fact that the HSE is merely implementing current government policy.We pay Mary Harney one of the highest Ministerial salaries in the world supposedly to deliver a Health Service for all the people. The problems that are occuring under her stewardship are directly related to her ideologically driven policy of privatisation. The 'patients are customers' thinking is placing the provision of care a poor second to establishing structures that will allow speculators make profit. So long as that thinking prevails, the chaos will continue and what we will end up with is the American system where money will be the factor that determines the extent and quality of healthcare available. Agruing about the pros and cons of the HSE deflects focus from the real issues involved, which is most likely no accident. If only as much effort went into providing a service as is expended on antics to pull the wool over the eyes of people, we could have a Health Service to which all citizens would have equal access and of which we could be justifiably proud.
  Jim O'Sullivan  Ireland
• The HSE was established to insulate the politicians from the consequences of a mediocre public service-delivered health care system and to contain costs by controlling all aspects of that system. It will succeed at neither goal. At the establishment of the HSE the then Taoiseach, Mr Ahearn, characteristically caved into the public service unions and guaranteed that there would be no redundancies (i.e. efficiencies). Costs can now only be contained by cutting back on services to patients. Like all good bureaucracies the HSE is now devoted to preserving its own existence. Having spent the last 4 years securing titles, allowances and pension entitlements for its lead administrators, it is seeking to bring the dead hand of centralised control to stifle any element of initiative or excellence in the system. All services can be expected to descend to levels previously only associated with the old Health Boards. Government-associated agencies cannot provide a reliable train service from Cork to Dublin. Why on earth do we expect them to be able to deliver health care?
  john  Ireland
• Mr Staines compares the HSE to an "aunt Sally". Irish folkloristic history never really featured that three legged target of village fair spleen, but if it had, I'm sure jolly old aunt Sally would have waited a long time for the operation to more humanely amputate that extra leg. The basic flaw of all those who defend the HSE under its minister from critics is also aired in his first paragraph. Of course most patients are happy with the operations they receive. I darsesay Lord Nelson was happy with the way his urethral tract infection was cured through a revolutionary intrusive claw or Samuel Pepys was delighted with the similar removal of his bladder stone. People in all ages with or without aunt Sallies have been unhappy to be ill and happy to be operated on. One thing links Nelson, Pepys and the patient of the HSE; they were (or are) all customers. Therein is the flaw. Nelson and Pepys bought the best treatments available, the customer of the HSE can not afford to buy a service which offers them a speedier opportunity to knock aunt sally's extra leg off with a well placed projectile. At end, I believe that healthcare ought not be measured in terms of "customer satisfaction" nor "brand loyalty" but "client service perception". I wonder how many patients reliant on the HSE would be much happier than either Nelson or Pepys to know they will need the HSE in the next 6 months.
  iosaf mac diarmada  Spain
• No. No way. It is the role of the media to highlight problems in the health services and they are just doing their job! Mr Staines admits that there are problems and he would be wrong to suggest that the media should ignore them.
  Conor  Ireland
• YES YES YES!! There is so much going on behind the scenes in the HSE, reformation and transformation, amazing work is being done by HIQA, problems are being revealed that have been ongoing, Change is never easy, doing things differently to better manage limited resources is never going to be a walk in the park. Its good to high light the downfalls but we must keep things in perspective. We all want a better health service, like we want good manners from our children - but we are never going to get good results from negativity. Look at the damage that was done else where (Lisbon) by ignorance and an appetite for scandal by media moguels - all i can say is don't blame me, i voted yes!
  Joanne Duffy  Ireland