Apple Tax Money and Scoliosis

You only have to read the letters in the papers every day to see there are as many recommendations for good uses of the funds, as there are letter writers. Without demeaning scoliosis, the country is full of people with particular interests or concerns that they feel the money should benefit…building houses, building hospitals, roads, renewable energy projects, support for the defence forces, special needs assistants in schools, mental health facilities, rural public transport, even giving everybody a cash sum to do with as they please. The demands are endless and while each would be a small fraction of the sum, they all add up and they are all important to somebody at the expense of other worthwhile causes.

This could be applied to anything and everything the goal will be to use the money in a way that doesn't cause runaway inflation or future growth problems.

If the scoliosis backlog can be managed in a sustainable way, they'd likely do it, if it's down to lack of theatres, they'll try and build more theatres, lack of staff, they'll try to hire more staff, but they'll be unlikely to solve it in one fell swoop. The problems in health aren't generally the lack of budget/money.

(another option is paying to get the operations done abroad, depending on the backlogs and standards in other countries)

If scoliosis is your main point, it would be nice to see details on how throwing money at it solves the waitlist problem.

i.e. what and who do you spend the money on exactly.

As I don't believe the waitlist is currently caused by lack of budget. Would getting the children's hospital open sooner alleviate it?

Maybe start providing details on how to do it then, the amount here isn't anything to do with the Apple money but to try and get attention (to a good thing), but less ranty, more plansy.

Who did the previous 19m go to?

They appear to be messing about with the treatment purchase fund and criteria and evaluations etc.

No point in having an available treatment purchase scheme if they cannot get people evaluated - due to waiting lists, to see if they qualify for the scheme.

Child needs treatment. They don't need 6 levels of evaluation to confirm they need treatment.

The money will be pissed up against a wall as usual.

The problem with scoliosis sufferers is the system of referrals and surgeons working on private clinics and admin in Crumlin a disaster area, the minister set up a group to improve the system and still nothing has changed, the people that were put in place to correct the failures can’t be contacted and surgeons secretary’s won’t answer the phones or voicemail on leave, having spent nearly 5 years with a scoliosis child back and forward it’s the hardest work and time a parent can put down with the lack of willingness to help sick children is the soul destroying part.

The 19mill was used elsewhere and not where it was supposed to go, a new scanner was built in Crumlin for to speed up the waiting list by the minister but has not done anything for the waiting list. Just give you and insight to getting a scan received a letter and date for a scan in Crumlin arrived at appointments time to be told sorry that’s not booked and you may go home, and we with the letter confirmation in our hand, sorry not my problem at reception desk, if you have a problem talk to advocacy.

Still have €2 billion annually to spend on mostly illegal IPAs though.

An absolute crime against humanity when you compare the two issues.

The scoiliosis issue is not due to a lack of funds.

We have poured money into the HSE.

It has added 28,000 staff over the last few years.

The health spending overrun is 1,500 million.

I presume the scoliosis issue is due to the medical consultants making their private lists a priority, and making their public patients wait?

Do you mean that I'm wrong about the cause of the waits being the medical consultants prioritising their private patients?

Okay.

I presumed that the reason some kids are waiting for scoliosis treatment is that other kids are getting scoliosis treatment faster due to having insurance?

You seem to be implying that isn't the case?

But yet you know consultants doing private work isn't.

Nor for me but I was listing some that had been suggested by letter writers to papers. Defence force came up more than once.

Why are we paying €6m a year in operating costs to maintain a cash balance?

Because the problem isn't lack of money....