It’s time for healthcare honesty, not promises and political point-scoring

I HAVE half a dozen hospital stories. When my daughter was younger, she was hospitalised on nine separate occasions, whilst my parents, who were elderly, still managed to outdo her admissions rate.

I spent one summer doing the round trip between Croom hospital and St John’s in Limerick, and on another occasion used to swop floors between the paediatric and surgical wards in the regional hospital, Limerick. Another time when I tried to take the train to Cavan hospital, I found that it doesn’t actually go up that far and so grew familiar with Podge and Rodge’s home town on regular car trips to Cavan through Ballyjamesduff.

I know it’s not a competition or anything, I’m just saying that in relation to Irish hospitals and hospital care I’ve a fair bit of experience.