Health service - Heads must roll for litany of failures

ONE of the most telling revelations of our three-day investigation into the debacle of Ireland’s health service is the appalling lack of accountability and transparency within the HSE. The failure of managers and other officials within the organisation to put up their hands and accept responsibility for their actions, or inaction as the case may be, is something the public finds infuriating.

So, it is refreshing that Health Minister Mary Harney openly admits in today’s wide-ranging interview that if the HSE were a privately run organisation, people would undoubtedly have lost their jobs in light of some of the errors they have made. It is an argument that has been put forward time and again in these columns. However, that does not belie the significance of hearing it from the minister’s lips.

Indeed, Ms Harney has been in the firing line of late, accused of inaction, and some might suggest the same stricture could be applied to her. In self-defence, however, she recently argued that she prefers working behind the scenes rather than appearing on media platforms. In this context, it is fair to say that the considerable time and effort she has devoted to, for instance, seeking resolution of Ireland’s cancer crisis, is showing positive signs of paying off.