Shortall was right to resign from Government

Roisin Shortall did the right thing in resigning over cuts and what she, like many of us, perceive as dangerous inaction and manipulation in frontline health services.

At least she cannot be held accountable for any deaths or worsening health issues as they have, and will, tragically occur.

Hopefully her resignation will ring alarm bells in the right places. I include the faceless Eurocrats), who are leaning on the Government to make savings in what should be no-go areas.

How can you make savings by culling what has already been culled in vital frontline hands on care in our hospitals, and in the community?

If a coalmine boss took away the pitprops in the mine and workers died in a pitfall, as a result, he would be held responsible for those deaths.

Equally the minister for health should also take the responsibility for any deaths in the health and community services that occur when human pitprops are removed.

Several recent deaths can be questionable in the light of cost-cutting arrangements made in our health and community services, including deaths due to people taking their own lives.

It’s time workers in the caring fields took the gags off and blew whistles so that preventable and unnecessary deaths are pinpointed and those responsible are taken to account for manslaughter.

Report to your staff organisations, the press, or shout from the rooftops. I did when I worked in the UK health services. Perhaps that’s the reason why I do not have a six-figure pension today.

John O’Sullivan

Passage West

Cork