Vested interests within the health system adding to pain of 'living on the list'

Vested interests within the system benefit from work practices that are costly in cash, and contribute to keeping people ‘living on the list’ in pain, writes Gerard Howlin.

PAIN is not a systems issue. It’s highly personal. If not relieved, it may suddenly — or progressively — close in the frontiers on your life. Monday night’s RTÉ Investigates: Living on the List was harrowing viewing. There were moments watching it when I winced at the description of what people were going through. But that momentary, involuntary discomfort pales compared to the actual pain of others.

One doctor interviewed, suggested thinking about having toothache 24/7 for years on end, to try to imagine what some people ‘living on the list’ go through. Even if you can imagine the physical pain, what of the psychological or social consequences of seriously ill patients, living for months, even years, in pain and with worsening conditions?