Important - UCD Health Services Charges 09/10

IrishKnight

Stepherunie wrote: »

Doubtful seeing as Garys name was on the email.

But if they get a mandate from the student body they will be forced to take a stand...

Riamfada

IrishKnight wrote: »

But if they get a mandate from the student body they will be forced to take a stand...

But someone will have to bring it up in council and then they will have to vote on it. Who wants to be the one to rock the boat. Shame that there is no student opposition to this at all

Stepherunie

Iirc there is already a mandate from 2 years ago mandating all Union officers to campaign against fees in the health centre

Council had a meeting with Dr Martin Butler when I was the 4th Radiography Rep on Council whereby we discussed the funding implications and the general consensus was if additional services such as Dentistry etc were to be provided noone had a problem with fees for those services as they were deemed to be auxiliary. But no one agreed with fees for students for the basic Dr and Nurse service. It should also be pointed out that the maths he used to justify the fee were absolutely awful and didn't work at all.

The Exec work as the decision making body over the summer months so it'd be interesting to see if they discussed this.

I'd also like to know what the implications will be for all healthcare students, will they be charged 4x10e for there 3 Hep B vaccinations and for there blood tests also?

1968

An unfair and sudden decision.

It's also a real kick in the teeth after the 50%+ increase in annual Reg. fees.

panda100

The Student Unions new Suicide prevention slogan:

Please Talk*
*but only If you have €40 in your pocket.

Absolutely disgraceful stuff. Hope students fight against this

parker kent

If it reduces the amount of time wasters going there (people not really sick but are just looking for notes to get extensions etc) then it is a good thing. It is still cheaper than any outside GP will charge. They give a good service considering the amount of students they have to serve so I would not begrudge them the charge.

As was said above, cutbacks had to be made somewhere. This option is more OK than some others as it will not effect everybody. If it was a choice between this and say, library funding, I know what I and I'm sure most others would prefer. Instead of this, the Union should worry about getting decent food in the restaurant or about getting the money back they wasted on seating last year.

Riamfada

Stepherunie wrote: »

The Exec work as the decision making body over the summer months

As Dr Hibbert would say .... "Dear God"



To be honest, the increase in registration fees, the student center levy and the possiblity of fees coupled with this just goes to show that UCD continue to look at the immediate gains rather than the big picture.

I think for the first time in almost 5 years, Panda100 and I agree on something. :pac:


UCD needs to centralise its expenses rather than cutting bits of everything cut things that are actually completely unimportant such as postering. Im sure the entire postering budget could keep the health service going for a few months.

Het-Field

My folks heard Gary Redmond on the radio this morning. They were asking me why anybody would have voted for him. I cant believe he would public defend it. At least pay lip service.

Stepherunie

parker kent wrote: »

If it reduces the amount of time wasters going there (people not really sick but are just looking for notes to get extensions etc) then it is a good thing. It is still cheaper than any outside GP will charge. They give a good service considering the amount of students they have to serve so I would not begrudge them the charge.

As was said above, cutbacks had to be made somewhere. This option is more OK than some others as it will not effect everybody. If it was a choice between this and say, library funding, I know what I and I'm sure most others would prefer. Instead of this, the Union should worry about getting decent food in the restaurant or about getting the money back they wasted on seating last year.

Food in the restaurant is better than decent healthcare for all students????? We need to ensure those who truly need treatment can go to the dr rather than avoid it just so they can buy food for a week??????????

Yes the restaraunt food is bad, it always has been, so what, bring your own lunch in with you. Healthcare is vastly more important. Particularly with the Swine Flu epidemic. Do you want to see someone die because they didn't go to the Dr in time because they didn't get a grant this year and they couldn't afford the 25e to go to a Dr and didn't know about the welfare fund, because I'm telling you that could happen.

Very few people know about the welfare fund because it's never well publicised enough.

Riamfada

Het-Field wrote: »

My folks heard Gary Redmond on the radio this morning. They were asking me why anybody would have voted for him. I cant believe he would public defend it. At least pay lip service.

This is where I bang my head off the wall and ask you is it a Union in term of SIPTU is a Union? Would the head of SIPTU be defending a rise in charges for their members or the INTO losing health benifits as the same time as their taxes increase.

UCDSU is NOT a Union !!

Stepherunie

panda100 wrote: »

The Student Unions new Suicide prevention slogan:

Please Talk*
*but only If you have €40 in your pocket.

Absolutely disgraceful stuff. Hope students fight against this

Though I'm still totally agreeing with you, just in case you didn't know councillor services will remain free at least. Psychiatric appointments will not however. Thank god for some good news, no matter how small.

Riamfada

Just to state Steph's point again

Iirc there is already a mandate from 2 years ago mandating all Union officers to campaign against fees in the health centre

So even with a mandate the Union just ignore the decision of council and give a +1 to the health care fees? I understand that times are tough but this summer postgrads made a stand about Library closing times without the help from anyone in the union and the opening times were promptly changed to benifit the paying students and not the budget. I wonder what UCD will charge for next. Car Parking .... oh wait

Thomas_S_Hunterson

FFS I didn't know it was free up until now.

€25 is still cheaper than my GP.

1968

Facebook group "Oppose Student Health Services Fees in UCD".

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125135332957&ref=nf

Riamfada

There is talk on indymedia about setting up a second Students Union. Now bear in mind that it is indymedia. But still, its heading like rough seas for this years Sabats.

Easily done, under Article 40 of the real Constitution you can request your SU union membership fee back and give it to a new union and madate them to fight against the college on healthcare charges.

OnlyTwoInter

I have it on good authority that one member of UCDSU made this decision without much consulation with his fellow sabbatical officers. Regardless of this, it is an absolute disgrace that this has been done without consultation with the student body within the relevant committees for making such decisions (Student Council, Exec), especially, as someone has already mentioned, it was within the Union Mandate to oppose the decision which has been made. I see no reason why this current UCD Sabbatical Team, and more specifically the incoming President, shouldn't face a motion of no confidence in the first council of the year.

parker kent

Stepherunie wrote: »

Food in the restaurant is better than decent healthcare for all students????? We need to ensure those who truly need treatment can go to the dr rather than avoid it just so they can buy food for a week??????????

Yes the restaraunt food is bad, it always has been, so what, bring your own lunch in with you. Healthcare is vastly more important. Particularly with the Swine Flu epidemic. Do you want to see someone die because they didn't go to the Dr in time because they didn't get a grant this year and they couldn't afford the 25e to go to a Dr and didn't know about the welfare fund, because I'm telling you that could happen.

Very few people know about the welfare fund because it's never well publicised enough.

But as I say there already is decent healthcare for students. We will now have a cheap option instead of free. I just have memories of being very, very sick last year and being told that they could not fit me in. Then after I left I got a text from a classmate who saw me in there who it turns out was just in to get a note for an essay she didn't bother doing in time. So she made up an illness to get a note from the doc. That was my point, get rid of the time wasters to free up space for the actual sick people. They are not charging that much; much less than the €60 you pay anywhere else. Something had to give somewhere. It was this.

It is also a bit dramatic to say that charging €25 is going to cause people to die. Sure it sucks we have to pay if we need the doc, but over the top dramatics is not needed. I mentioned the restaurant as something off the top of my head that they could actually change. I never said the restaurant was more important than healthcare.

Plus on the who voted Gary Redmond point made above, do remember that only a fraction of students ever actually vote. Most people genuinely don't really care.

Riamfada

parker kent wrote: »

But as I say there already is decent healthcare for students. We will now have a cheap option instead of free. I just have memories of being very, very sick last year and being told that they could not fit me in. Then after I left I got a text from a classmate who saw me in there who it turns out was just in to get a note for an essay she didn't bother doing in time. So she made up an illness to get a note from the doc. That was my point, get rid of the time wasters to free up space for the actual sick people. They are not charging that much; much less than the €60 you pay anywhere else. Something had to give somewhere. It was this.

It is also a bit dramatic to say that charging €25 is going to cause people to die. Sure it sucks we have to pay if we need the doc, but over the top dramatics is not needed. I mentioned the restaurant as something off the top of my head that they could actually change. I never said the restaurant was more important than healthcare.

Plus on the who voted Gary Redmond point made above, do remember that only a fraction of students ever actually vote. Most people genuinely don't really care.

Well by the same logic you could bring in fees to "get rid of the time wasters" thus punishing the genuine who require the service.


I know this is a massive turn around by the G-man but I cant ignore morals

parker kent

Grimes wrote: »

Well by the same logic you could bring in fees to "get rid of the time wasters" thus punishing the genuine who require the service.

Well actually now that you say that...:D

Riamfada

I know that this will all blow over in a few days but its a shame that this is the way it has to be. Students are too apathetic and the authorities know it.

parker kent

To me, even as a not very well off student, I do not see €25 as that much to pay for the doctor. I was surprised it was free for so long actually. I do not see the health centre as a sacred cow that must remain free. In an ideal world, yes of course, but this is not an ideal world. Nobody is going to die because of this, if somebody was truly that sick and did not have the money, family, friends or somebody would stump up the money. It is not as if it is excessive. Plenty will spend double or treble that on a night out. Plus in extreme emergencies St Vincents in only 20 minutes away on foot.

Morals are great when you are on the outside of the decision process, but somebody somewhere had to make cuts and whatever went was going to annoy people.

Riamfada

My problem is with the complete acceptance of the cuts by the students union while mandated against those cuts. WHat will it be next time UCD needs more money?

Donald-Duck

This thread makes it seem like some of you go to the doctor every week.

Riamfada

Donald-Duck wrote: »

This thread makes it seem like some of you go to the doctor every week.

Well I do. Or almost every week. Im a sick bunny

OnlyTwoInter

Regardless of what you make of the decision by UCDSU, the Union mandate was broken by the decision made on Monday to support Fees for the Student Health Centre. The minutes of the Council where the motion was approved is available at - http://ucdsu.ie/websitedocs/minutes/council071115.pdf, but here is the motion in full...

Motion from UCDSU Council Meeting - 5th of November 2007, Astra Hall

Motion Regarding the Student Health Centre

Council Notes the current proposition from the Vice President for
Students to begin charging people at the Health centre.

Council Further Notes that the Health Centre on Campus is under funded
and needs additional funding.

Council Firmly Believes that the Health Service on Campus should be free
from the point of use and the additional funding required should come
from the college authorities

Council Therefore Mandates all Sabatical Officers, in the absence of any referenda, to
campaign against
the introduction of a Student Health Centre levy or the establishment of
a private healthcare system on campus.

Council Further Mandates all Officers of the union, to state our
opposition to any of the mentioned proposals on any committee or board
that they may serve on, should it become a topic for discussion.

Proposed by: Rory Geraghty, 2nd English & Drama

Seconded by: Isobel O'Connor, Health Science PRO

In proposing the motion, Rory Geraghty said that healthcare was a right and as such no one should have to pay for it. He said that Martin Butler's current proposals would ultimately lead to many students having to pay large amounts of money and this was something that not everyone could afford. He said that the final mandate was just to ensure that if the issue arose at any meeting that any officer present would ensure that our position was known. He said that, for example, both he and Ashling O'Connor were Officers and they both sat on the Student Centre Redevelopment Committee and that it was very possible that the Health Centre could come up there.

As there was no speakers against the motion was put to a vote and passed unanimously.

dajaffa

While some drop off in funding would have resulted in either a reduced service or a SMALL fee, Butsy (always in favour of having charges) has taken advantage of this situation to bring in the fee paying system that they wanted. From free to €25 is not in line with cutbacks accross the university.

€25 is a fair whack when you consider rent etc is covered seperatly, and that students will generally be young, have a short medical history so GPs in the health centre could have a higher turnover of patients than your average GP practice. I encourage all who oppose this to actually get involved + fight because lets face it someone has to.

I was involved in the SU for years but they've really taken this lying down. Similarly though, much of the time the student body votes for the weaker candidate + to a certain extent they have to accept that that's what they voted for. The only way to change it is to get out and vote, I really hope people consider this when they vote this year.

Riamfada

dajaffa wrote: »

The only way to change it is to get out and vote, I really hope people consider this when they vote this year.

WOnt they have to wait until 2010 to do that? When the Union break a madate by their council they must answer for it immediately.

dajaffa

Grimes wrote: »

WOnt they have to wait until 2010 to do that? When the Union break a madate by their council they must answer for it immediately.

Officers can be removed by refurendum called by collecting signatures, think its like 600-800 or so.



(but I meant this academic year!)

TheJeanGenie

25 euro is a fair bit of money to a student, a weekly ticket for dublin bus is less.

Also there is the matter of swine flu to consider. People are already anticipating a rough year because of it. UCD seems to be introducing the charge when students are most vulnerable and most likely to want to see a doc.

Mardy Bum

TheJeanGenie wrote: »

Also there is the matter of swine flu to consider. People are already anticipating a rough year because of it. UCD seems to be introducing the charge when students are most vulnerable and most likely to want to see a doc.

This is the first time this has been noted here!

What a money spinner for UCD if there is an outbreak! Butlers a genius!:pac: