Comment: We must demand change in how our health services are run

The current crisis facing the HSE is a clear sign of the systemic problems that have plagued the organisation for years.

It is unacceptable that patients are being left on trolleys in hospital corridors for hours on end, and that the hardworking staff of the HSE are being stretched to their limits in an effort to provide necessary care.

The root of this crisis lies in a lack of proper funding and resources. For years, the HSE has been underfunded and understaffed, leading to a backlog of patients and a lack of capacity to meet the needs of the population. That was compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, which put even more pressure on an already strained system.

The government must take immediate action. This means providing the HSE with the funding it needs to hire more staff, build new hospitals, and improve existing facilities. It also means implementing long-term structural reforms to address the underlying issues.

This crisis is about more than just money. It is about the fundamental right to access healthcare and the dignity of patients.

The stories from the frontline in today's paper underline just how bad things have become with no sign of improvement any time soon.

A national protest against the crisis in Emergency Departments will now take place outside hospitals across Ireland at 1pm on Saturday 21st January.

The chairs of hospital campaigns across the country met last night (Monday) to put in place plans for protests outside hospitals across the country. While local protests in Navan against moves to close the local A&E have been impactful, a national day of action, well supported, will certainly send a strong message to Government that enough is enough.

The HSE has proven to be a black hole for money – sucking in whatever finance is thrown its way, with little obvious results at the acute hospital level.

The HSE was created in order to keep responsibility for failures in our health services at arms' length for Government. It's high time Government took the situation by the scruff of the neck and demanded answers and solutions from the HSE.

The HSE has also to prioritise transparency and accountability to rebuild the trust of the public. This includes being open about the challenges and working to address them in a timely and effective manner.

In short, the crisis is a symptom of a deeper problem in the healthcare system. It is time for the government to take decisive action and ensure that all citizens have access to the quality healthcare they deserve.

For our own sakes, it's not simply good enough to become agitated and active on the crisis in our hospitals when it affects us personally, or someone we know.

The reality is that we will be affected by trolleys and A&E waits and insufficient beds and overworked consultants unless we too stand up and demand change.

COVER PRICE INCREASE

The cover price of the Meath Chronicle increased in the New Year by 10 cent a copy to €3.30.

It was necessitated by sharply rising newsprint costs, which have trebled over the past three years. That is on top of other rising input costs including power, insurance and fuel.

The Meath Chronicle and its parent company Celtic Media Group are most grateful for Government support in the form of a reduction in the rate of VAT to zero per cent from 1st January. This will allow us to retain our staffing levels, invest in digital media and independent journalism but it does not mitigate against the rising newsprint prices and the cost of living crisis.

Regional news publishers such as the Meath Chronicle are among the most trusted sources of news - in print or online - but we have to compete against free online platforms including RTE, which is State subsidised but equally trusted, not to mention every form of social media, the latter of which includes many unreliable sources, misinformation and 'fake news'.

We will continue to provide unrivalled local news coverage through our award-winning team of journalists and ensure value for money for our readers. To put it into perspective €3.30 is less than the cost of a cup of coffee in most retail outlets but readers get so much more from the Chronicle - their weekly fix of local news, sport and entertainment and all things Meath.