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PATIENTS BEING IGNORED IN WRANGLING OVER HEALTH CUTS
Monday 28 September 2009
A leading medical charity has accused government officials and health trusts of not paying enough attention to the needs of patients as they argue over where the axe should fall in hospital cuts.
NI Chest, Heart and Stroke says politicians and health service administrators are engaging in megaphone diplomacy and brinkmanship while neglecting the feelings of those who are waiting for surgery.
The charity's Chief Executive, Andrew Dougal, said: "If there is a need for efficiency savings, these should be carried out in the areas which hurt patients least. The proposals from the Belfast Trust to close 76 beds in Belfast City Hospital and 76 beds in the Royal Victoria Hospital, as well as putting a moratorium on purchasing of procedures in the private sector, will cause great alarm among patients who are already stressed waiting for surgery."
He added: "There needs to be mature debate held privately within the Health Service and with interested parties to identify efficiency savings which cut out waste, reduce bureaucracy and cause least distress to patients. Last year 440 heart operations took place in Dublin or London at a cost of between £14,000 and £17,000 per operation. This means that well over £6m has been spent on operations outside Northern Ireland. While it is important that people have surgery sooner rather than later, it would make more sense if more operations were carried out locally. It would be less expensive and would not involve the export of health service jobs to Dublin or to London."
The charity calls on the Health and Social Care Board, which is responsible for commissioning, to stipulate to the regional cardiac surgery unit that it should increase substantially the number of operations offered in Belfast. It also wants a regional director to oversee the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The installation of Prof Roger Boyle as National Director for Heart Disease and Stroke in 2000 has led to important strides in treatment in England.
