Nothing learned from tragedy

Nothing has been learned from the death of Susie Long, who died because of hospital waiting lists, the widower of the mother of two, Conor Mac Liam, said yesterday.

Ms Long, who died on October 7, 2007, aged 41, led a public campaign during her illness to initiate change in the Irish health system.

Mr Mac Liam said he was incensed when he learned Health Minister Leo Varadkar had admitted he felt a lot better after taking out private health insurance and would encourage others to do the same.

“It is a disgrace that the minister for health feels he is giving a lead by deserting the public health system over which he has jurisdiction for the cover of costly private health insurance, which is unaffordable for a large percentage of the public,” he said.

“It appears nothing has been learned from the premature death of my wife at the hands of a two-tier health system where those who could afford private health insurance are given preference in the queues for health treatment.”

Ms Long revealed in an email to Joe Duffy’s Liveline programme in January 2007 she had to wait seven months for a colonoscopy to diagnose her bowel cancer because she was a public patient.

While undergoing chemotherapy in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny, Susie met another patient who only had to wait three days because he had private health insurance. His early diagnosis was key to his survival.

The minister, who is also a trained GP, had revealed he had no private health insurance until last week after letting his cover lapse.

“As minister for health I wanted to take a lead. I also wanted to avoid the levy,” he said.

From next month anyone over the age of 35 who takes out private health insurance for the first time will face a higher levy on all policies.

Mr Mac Liam, a candidate for the Anti-Austerity Alliance in the Carlow-Kilkennny byelection, said the minister had sighed in relief after escaping the insecurity of delays and queues.

The waiting list for out-patient appointments has been increasing since the beginning of 2014 and by the end of last month it had reached 405,501, according to the National Treatment Purchase Fund. Almost half of those on the list have been waiting for an appointment for more than six months, with 77,300 waiting a year.

The minister said he mandated the HSE to ensure no one was waiting longer than 18 months by June and to reduce that to 15 months by the end of the year.

DISCOVER MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS