Irish Times Letter - 9th December 2021
Doctors for Universal Healthcare was formed in December 2021 to provide a public voice to the many medical professionals in Ireland who support the urgent introduction of universal healthcare and the values underpinning Slaintecare.
Our group quickly rose to over 300 registered medical professionals in Ireland.
Please read our letter here.
Universal healthcare in the news and media
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Dr Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne: Health scandals will endure until we clarify what exactly needs to change
Irish Examiner
28th Feb 2022
Dr Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne
Health reform is difficult. No country on earth has achieved it without certain key ingredients, like genuine engagement with the healthcare workforce; serious investment of resources; and bold political leadership, right from the very top.
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Whatever happened to Sláintecare?
Irish Times
3rd Feb 2022
Dr Sara Burke
New implementation body chaired by Robert Watt and Paul Reid has met once.
The response of the health system to Covid-19 is an excellent example of how resources and strong clinical leadership can empower frontline hospital and community initiatives to innovate and deliver quality care at speed to meet people’s needs. It is a real shame that gains made during the pandemic are now being squandered by deferral and inaction by our political and health leaders.
No more scandals, audits and damning reports are needed. Now is the time to act.
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Noted doctors sign letter calling for universal healthcare in Ireland
7th Dec 2021
Irish Times
Medics frustrated by the pace of reform and negotiations over Sláintecare contract.
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A universal public healthcare system would benefit everyone
Irish Examiner
4th Nov 2020
Dr Domhnall McGlackin-Byrne
14th Nov 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of coming together as a society to overcome the virus. Dr Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne writes that such cooperation is needed to resolve the issues with the Irish health system as a whole
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Doctors should welcome free GP care for children
Irish Times
9th Jan 2020
Dr Mark Murphy
Many problems facing general practice is a direct result of it being in free market
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GPs are seeing the mental health impact of Covid-19 on their patients
Journal.ie
31st Oct 2020
Dr Mark Murphy
We need a GP-based universal payment for mental health presentations, we need GP-based psychological supports for all patients with mental health symptoms,
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Government needs to admit if public-private partnerships are now the model for healthcare
Journal.ie
25th Nov 2021
Dr Anthony O’Connor
If the government believes that enhanced public-private partnership is the best model for our health services then that is a legitimate and valid view for them to hold, albeit one that I do not, but they must be honest with people.
It is in no way congruent with the spirit of the Sláintecare report which all the government parties are signed up to. The voracious appetite for outsourcing suggests there is a considerable gap emerging between professed values and observed behaviours.
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What impact is private health insurance having on our health services?
Journal.ie
10th Dec 2020
Dr Mark Murphy
A dis-regulated private sector is encroaching into primary care, contributing to fragmented services, eroding continuity.
What is most tragic, is that everyone loses in this current system, for we will all need to access a public hospital one day. Fortunately for us all, Sláintecare describes exactly how we can disentangle this complex unfair system, for the benefit of everybody.
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History matters, but the record numbers on trolleys should trump commemoration debates
Journal.ie
8th Jan 2020
Dr Anthony O'Connor
It may seem unthinkably complicated now, but nationalising the banks was unthinkable once too until we woke up one morning at a time of crisis and it had happened.