Health Concerns

Dublin concerns about ambulance services.

Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has said that cuts to ambulance services in Dublin city, county and its hinterland “will inevitably put lives at risk and lead to longer response times from a vastly reduced service”.

He made the comments after he was told that on Tuesday the Tallaght area was to be short of an ambulance at Airton Road between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

 

 Dublin Mater Hospital

Concerns over infection risk as Mater tells staff: ‘Wash your own scrubs’

MEDICAL STAFF in the emergency department at the Mater hospital have been told to buy and clean their own ‘scrubs’ as part of hospital spending cutbacks – a move some staff fear poses a major infection risk.

 

Dublin St Michael’s

208 adults with an intellectual disability live with parents aged 70 or over in Dublin, writes PAUL CULLEN, Health Correspondent

THE BIGGEST provider of services for the intellectually disabled in Dublin has warned of “devastating implications” for families of any further cuts in December’s budget.

St Michael’s House says it is deeply concerned about the prospect of a fifth year of cuts as part of continuing austerity next year.

The organisation has launched a campaign to get the Government to consider the impact of cuts next year before imposing a fifth successive yearly reduction in its budget.

 

 

Cork

PEOPLE IN WEST Cork angry over the loss of their fourth ambulance are to push a stretcher bed from Skibbereen to Cork University Hospital in protest later this week.

The four-day long protest will take place from 17 – 20 October (Wednesday – Saturday) and will involve a group of relay teams taking it in turns to push the bed.

LAOIS

Laois T.D. Sean Fleming has absolutely no regrets over his decision to storm out of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 9, where he labelled health officials as “a disgrace and not fit for office.”

Speaking to the Leinster Express Deputy Fleming fumed that it was “outrageous” for the Department of Health Secretary General Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin and new H.S.E. Chief Executive Tony O’Brien to attempt to “stonewall the P.A.C. and the people of Ireland” by refusing to answer questions on their 2012 budget overspend.

 

WEXFORD

A public protest against the closure of an operating theater at Wexford General Hospital was held outside the hospital last Saturday afternoon.

Councilor Anthony Kelly of Sinn Fein is calling on Wexford’s Oireachtas members to come out immediately and call for this decision to be reversed.

National

IN THE 2011 Programme for Government, the Labour Party and Fine Gael say additional funding will be provided each year for the care of older people.

“This funding will go to more residential places, more home-care packages and the delivery of more home help and other professional community care services

 

Wallace used hitman threat over debt

Independent TD Mick Wallace has revealed how he collected most of an outstanding debt of €20,000 by hinting he had hired a gun-toting “hitman“.

Speaking on the Marian Finucane Show this morning, the Wexford TD recounted how he was left €20,000 short after supplying labour to a large building firm.

He said when he went to collect the debt, he was told by the contracts manager at the company to “go to hell”.

Mr Wallace said he looked at getting the money through the legal process but was told by his solicitor it would take up to two years and he would be lucky to get €13,000, after costs.

He said the following night, he coincidentally met a debt collector in a pub and asked him how he might recover the money.

Mr Wallace said the man told him that for a fee of €4,000, he would “go out to his [the company owner’s] house at eight or nine o’clock at night and knock on his door. ‘I’d put my foot in the door and I’d have a gun with me and I’d give him seven days to pay and generally they pay.’”

Shortly after the incident, the Wexford TD said he arranged to meet a former employee who had moved to the company that owed him money.

“I said, ‘by the way I’m going to get my money from the contractor’.

“‘That’s great’ he says, ‘how did you do it?’

“I said, ‘I haven’t got it yet but I’m going to get it, this guy has guaranteed me I’m going to get it.’”

“I said, ‘well I hired a hitman and I explained to him how he was going to get the money,’” the Wexford TD said.

Mr Wallace recalled how two days later he received a phone call from the owner of the company to discuss the outstanding debt.

“I went to the office and I was there for about five minutes on my own, next thing he came in with the contracts manager – ‘will you take €15,000?’ and I said I’ll take €16,000.

“’’OK’ he said, and I got my €16,000.”

Mr Wallace concluded the interview by saying he would never have “sent a gunman” to the contractor’s door.

via Wallace used hitman threat over debt – The Irish Times – Sat, Oct 06, 2012.

via Wallace used hitman threat over debt – The Irish Times – Sat, Oct 06, 2012.