Health service has ‘complaint ethos’

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has attacked the public health service for adopting an ethos of complaint about its difficulties rather than following the “can-do make it happen attitude” of those in the private sector.

She also indicated she would favour incentivising the public health service by introducing competition through innovation funds, which she will introduce as part of the new health forum.

At the IMPACT health conference in Portlaoise, she said: “It was said to me recently by someone, that while the private sector, both in health and else where talks itself up, the public system tends to talk itself down. “It seems to love to air all the problems and complain about all the difficulties rather than having a can-do will-do, make it happen positive attitude.”