Letters to the Editor: Broken mental health system a major human rights breach for children
Use of taxpayers' money for children’s mental healthcare should be welcomed by the public, a reader hopes.
The mental health system in Ireland is broken. It needs a radical inventory from the top down. It’s been like that for a long, long time. There have been calls for increased funding down through the years from non-profit groups and campaigners alike, but this really is the last straw and we will see protests outside Leinster House this year.
Children being refused just shows how serious this is.
The HSE needs to be held accountable through yet another external review by the Mental Health Commission. How many reports do we need to see?
It’s obvious that the mental health system is a shambles from a shortage of staff, to wages and emigration, as well as the overall treatment of patients as a result.
Children have no voice and are relying on services like Camhs to save them.
As a service user and someone who suffers with bipolar disorder and experiences psychosis as well as Complex PTSD, I want a serious revamp in mental health services across the board and particularly in these un-serviced areas such as Cork and Kerry.
There is anger all over the country and I echo that as someone with first-hand experience of poor mental health. If my mental health issues had been detected as a child, I would have had a better chance in reducing the risk of becoming an in-patient, as well as experiencing homelessness.
So let’s get down to the brass “tax”, since it is public money we are talking about here.
HSE management and senior Government officials need to get to work now as a matter of urgency. More than half of the almost 1,200 children referred to the Camhs service this year were not accepted.
That’s 600 children. Shocking. 600 lives at risk to suicide. 600 lives at risk of becoming homeless. 600 children denied the basic human right to healthcare.
The right questions need to be asked and I don’t accept the culture of brushing these issues under the carpet, so to speak.
The HSE must have an out-dated dictionary at head office, but it’s time to invest in a new one. This is 2023. This generation believes in children’s rights and protection above all else.
This is an obvious breach of human rights by our health system. That’s what we are talking about. This isn’t open for discussion.
I would hope that the public would welcome taxpayers' money being allocated to children’s basic human rights to proper mental healthcare.
We are in tumultuous times — preparedness efforts and response plans are no match for the severity of storms and earthquakes, like those in Turkey, Greece, Libya, and Morocco. Leaders globally must ensure lives are saved and hope is not lost.
Ireland is a global leader in promoting development. Next week Ireland will co-chair the Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together with Qatar, at the United Nations General Assembly.
The summit is a timely moment for world leaders to change course, and it is vital that they take it. More than 800m people go to bed hungry every night. The picture of global inequality and instability is a shocking indictment of global leadership.
Ireland’s leadership on development is reflected in political decisions at home and abroad. Budget 2024 should reflect Ireland’s values — a budget that makes progress on the SDGs in Ireland and in countries of greatest need.
Ireland must continue on its path of progress towards achieving the target of 0.7% GDP, and ensure that Official Development Aid is spent where it is most needed.
Of the rugby matches seen last weekend, two memorable features were Bundee Aki’s sterling performance against the Romanians and the earth-moving last ditch effort by the annoyed Fijians in the dying seconds of the game with Wales.
For what seems like an eternity, we hear of the issues of the frontline workers in many facets of daily living, be it the gardaí, nurses, or teachers, to mention but a few, with ongoing recruitment and accommodation issues.
Yet there seems to be a lack of understanding or willpower to offer solutions. I’m not saying I have the answers but the following should help:
When the gardaí lived in the community amongst the people they served, there was less crime and safer communities.
A good garda took part in the community, mixed in with the various sports teams, clubs, and sometimes nipped things in the bud before they escalated.
I was lucky enough to witness the community working with the gardaí and vice versa, on many occasions.
Can we not sort out affordable housing in the community for the gardaí and get the “local knowledge” back?
It’s silly selling off the various Garda stations. Local knowledge is everything.
Every hospital has various buildings that are not used. Can we not convert them and make them suitable for staff habitation?
Remember, nearly every hospital had a “nurses' home” in the not too distant past. At least this could alleviate the accommodation issue for the young nurses starting out on their careers and in the process “buy” us a few years to sort out the issue long term. Basic, clean, and safe living accommodation makes for a happy staff.
Is it any wonder that teachers are leaving in their droves?
Giving a three/four-hour contract is a disgrace, but unfortunately, poor recruitment can destroy a school.
Teaching was always a profession that had huge elements of non-job security attached to it. This has not changed in 30 years in Ireland.
Unfortunately, some of the school management authorities are more interested in providing expenses for their “lackeys” or “consultants” (usually retired and on a golden circle retirement package). Remember, in any school the children are the most important, and next are the teachers.
Why are frontline workers not being listened to? The country never had as much money and yet we never seem to have any less problems.
Can we not start now before it’s too late and start listening and solving the issues that are destroying our country? I hope I’ve managed to get a few “willing” politicians to take the bull by the horns and do something.
Here we go again with another director general looking for funding to change.
In other words — just give us your money so we maintain our salaries and perks.
Well how about a new funding model that involves RTÉ competing with streaming services and if viewers want it they can pay a monthly subscription?
Back when Fianna Fáil was in government and Dermot Ahern was minister for communications, the same RTÉ was out with a begging bowl and in return for a licence-fee increase, it promised reforms.
Well it got the increase and gave no reforms, as the last couple of months demonstrated.
Now it’s the same promise of reform. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
It is good to see that the Government plans to contribute €1m to the Libyan Storm Daniel disaster, but disappointing that the EU only plans to contribute €500,000 so far.
The UN has pledged $10m but even this is inadequate.
Western mainstream media is highlighting the chaotic political and conflict situations in Libya as contributing factors to the huge death toll, without mentioning who and what helped cause Libya to become a failed state.
The UN Security Council resolution 1973, which was adopted in March 2011, approved a no-fly-zone on Libya for “humanitarian” reasons, but this was seriously abused by Nato and its allies, who launched more than 14,000 air attacks on Libya and helped to overthrow its government.
Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Bulgaria, Greece, Netherlands, and Romania participated in this bombing, for the supposed reasons of bringing peace, freedom, human rights, and democracy to Libya.
The United Nations and the international community have failed the people of Libya, who now need not only our prayers but also much more practical help in coping with this huge disaster. Those who helped to destroy Libya need to be held accountable and need to be forced to pay reparations to undo some of the damage they have caused.
