In Unequal Ireland Its Your Wealth Thats Your Health Its A Far Cry From The Republic It Claims To Be

Your health is your wealth. Well, in Ireland, the size of your wealth determines your health.

And that's just wrong.

The government can provide free medical care for everyone if it wants to. It's a stated goal (all parties in power have committed to it in their election manifestos), but dreams don't make life better, actions do.

As the current hospital crisis shows, action in healthcare has given way to chaos.

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They had known for months that the system would be overwhelmed by a new wave of Covid this winter. They knew flu season was going to be better than anything they'd seen before.

They knew what was coming, but they could not prepare for this terrible event. When the inevitable finally happened, the Health Secretary, hospital leaders and the HSE went into crisis mode.

Too late to reverse the staggering surge in disease-ridden emergency services.

So they tried to cope with the lack of beds and showed doctors and nurses unnecessary hours under "inhuman" conditions.

Patients' dignity vanished as thousands of critically ill people were forced to sit in crowded waiting rooms. Even if they had a "bed," it was often in a cart down the hall.

Undoubtedly, failure to prepare for the horrors of winter resulted in needless deaths.

In 2022, the HSE reported that rates for emergency services were up 14.8% compared to 2021 numbers, so no one can say they didn't see that coming. The flow of ER visits was very predictable.

It is not easy being health minister when you are in charge of a health system that is on the brink of perpetual collapse and that seems inadequate.

To paraphrase Danish footballer Thomas Delaney, getting the HSE to work is like opening a can of beans with your bare hands.

After the Health Secretary, the Minister has failed to reform the HSE according to citizens' needs. It's a monolith of inefficiency.

GREAT DESIGN

A major plan to eliminate our two-tier health care system (public and private) and build a health care system based on need rather than ability to pay was first announced in 2011. (Ireland is the only country in the EU that cannot offer free universal health insurance.)

Twelve years later, Slaintecare is still not implemented.

This fantastic promise to provide universal general medicine and prioritize primary care units in local communities has been an unexpected disaster as only the most critically ill patients remain in the ER.

By the way, basic supply units. What are you?

I have one in my town but I don't know what it's for.

Hell will likely freeze over before Slaintecare is fully operational.

Yes, he has faced many obstacles, not the least of which is the reluctance of many GPs to join us. They are of course afraid of losing their income and being affected by patients.

Private hospitals are also increasing. They make enough money from those who have money to pay for their health.

To be fair to Health Secretary Stephen Donnelly, it is not entirely his fault that Slaintecare was left neutral. But he can also grow balls.

This week, the Institute for Economic and Social Research said free medical care for all could be phased in by 2026 at a cost of 881 million euros.

That sounds like a lot of money, but it's a lot compared to the tens of billions the government has spent on pandemic support over the past two years.

Money is not a problem, the treasury is full of money. It is a lack of intelligence, courage and leadership.

tired teams

There is a logical element to Liverpool and Manchester City's weakness.

This was proven in the last round match for both teams. Liverpool lost 3-0 to Brighton which was undone by calm and expansive attacking football. Brighton's new manager Roberto De Zerbi brings a breath of fresh air.

Tactically, Klopp has nothing left in the tank and Liverpool could have lost by a bigger margin.

"Manchester City" also had difficulties in some games. They were obviously off the mark against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last week. They were satisfied with a 2-0 defeat.

Against Manchester United, City were also shocked when United rushed them.

Well, United's first goal was controversial. But the defeat was predicted by many before the game.

Pep's football, like Klopp's, has become predictable. Other teams have learned how to cancel their games.

"Arsenal" has a chance to become champion.

DANCING WITH THE STARS CAN BE LIVE

ET to RTE Studios, where Dancing with the Stars serves as a bedtime competition.

In any case, the eliminations start this week, which will make for a "live" spectacle. In the photo, Panti Bliss accused Eurovision star Brooke Scullion of stealing the gay voice.

And somehow the world keeps turning.

BACK TO TENNIS FOR POUTINE

Unlike football, the International Tennis Federation allows players from Russia and Belarus to compete in major tournaments.

The only GADAN-worthy international tournament for Russian and Belarusian athletes was Wimbledon, which faced threats of doing the right thing last year.

The Grand Slam calendar got off to an unfavorable start this week in Melbourne, Australia. Fans waved the Russian flag during Monday's first-round match between Russia's Kamilla Rahimova and Ukraine's Katerina Baindl (Ukraine won).

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia was outraged, and the Australian Open tennis team immediately announced that the flags of Russia and Belarus would be banned from the court for the remainder of the tournament.

Banning flags is a coin when it comes to what tennis players need to do.

It is morally wrong to allow any athlete from Russia (or Belarus, which has been and is being used as a base for troops to invade Ukraine) to compete in any sport, not just tennis.

As long as the athlete does not condemn Putin's evil war.

Tennis is a game played by the rich and very popular among the wealthy elite in Russia. That explains a lot.

TELEVISION RED

As far as jokes go, YouTuber Dan "Jarvo" Jarvis' Match Of The Day on "Sex Sounds" is at the forefront.

Jarvo and a friend went to Wolves' stadium the day before the FA Cup third round replay against Liverpool and taped the phone to the wall in the Match Of The Day studio.

Then, before the start, Jarvo called the whistler with a bell that produced powerful sexual moans. It wasn't just once, he called multiple times, prompting Gary Lineker, Paul Ince and Danny Murphy to crack pre-game jokes and make millions laugh.

Ever the pro, Lineker peppered his commentary with cheeky sexual innuendos, describing Harvey Elliott's miracle goal as "screaming and not the only goal we saw tonight".

Engineered for hot TV. Please more stuff like that.

skill

THIS week I mainly watched The Knick, a medical drama set in a 1901 Knickerbocker Hospital in New York. In Harlem, then one of the poorest neighborhoods in Manhattan, there was a real Knickerbocker Hospital.

The show's standout performer is Bono's daughter, Eve Hewson, who is married to nurse Lucy Elkins, assistant to the hospital's chief surgeon, Dr. John Thackery and the Last Treasure.

He's a brilliant mind, but he can only function if he takes cocaine in large amounts. Directed and beautifully shot by Steven Soderbergh of Sex, Lies and Videotape, The Knick is as historically accurate as you can get.

There are also Irish accents, a medic's beast, a nurse who steals bodies to make a living and performs abortions while caring for abandoned children.

That said, even if I'm more than 7 years late, it's a shame. You can find it on Sky.

The real cost of healthcare in the US has shocked the British public