Greens are not opposed to vaccination programmes

YOUR readers could have been forgiven for thinking Dr Ruairi Hanley (Irish Examiner letters, February 8) was motivated solely by concern for the wellbeing of children when he criticised the Green Party’s “so-called” health policy.

In fact, it’s also likely Dr Hanley’s letter — to which you gave so much prominence — was politically motivated. He is, after all, a member of the PDs and stood for that party in the local elections, getting 2.6% of the vote in Bray, which was a notable achievement given their current poll rating of 1%.

For the record, there is no mention at all of vaccination in the new Green Party primary healthcare document and we have never opposed vaccination programmes. Perhaps if Dr Hanley had paid any attention to my statements in the Dáil, he would have noticed quite a number of parliamentary questions to his party colleague, Health Minister Mary Harney, about the supply of vaccines to deal with a possible flu pandemic. We have insisted that all programmes are properly monitored for safety and are not compulsory.

Even Micheál Martin ruled out compulsory vaccination when he was minister for health, but I accept the PDs may — in keeping with their image — have a more authoritarian approach.

Dr Hanley will be disappointed to learn that the Green Party does support complementary medicine, as do increasing numbers of medical practitioners, health insurance companies and members of the public.

By choosing to dismiss it as mere ‘quackery’, he once again shows just how out of touch the PDs are with the lives of ordinary people. He would be better advised to remind his colleague Mary Harney properly to regulate alternative practitioners, another sensible Green Party proposal.

Unfortunately, a Government report on the subject is gathering dust somewhere in Ms Harney’s office.

If in government, the Green Party will implement the recommendations of this report, along with the recommendations of the taskforces on alcohol and obesity — reports she has also failed to act upon.

The PDs have had their opportunity to deal with the health crisis and they have failed abysmally. It’s time to give the Green Party a chance.

John Gormley TD

Green Party Chairman

and Health Spokesperson

Dáil Eireann

Dublin 2