Sir, – Kieran Ryan, chief executive of the Irish College of General Practitioners, makes some interesting points (May 20th) regarding the HSE engagement of a Harvard professor to advise it on strategy.
I believe the HSE should at least be commended for the consistency of its initiative. It appears most appropriate that an organisation that doesn’t understand or engage with general practice in Ireland should engage the services of a person who also does not understand or engage with general practice in Ireland, nor does he live in Ireland.
General practice in Ireland has been the only adequately functioning aspect of the Irish health system for many years, while managing 98 per cent of the Irish population’s illnesses. Patient satisfaction levels are in excess of 90 per cent. The problems in the health system are therefore largely outside of general practice.
However, the HSE has decided to focus its current attention on that one element of the health system that has been working, at a time when the HSE and Minister for Health cannot deliver the other 2 per cent of medical care from a huge budget.
The HSE has claimed that the cost of this two-day initiative, at €150,000, represents an “immensely cost-effective” measure. When one adds in the salary, travel and accommodation costs of the 470 delegates, the cost of the event must be close to €500,000. If the HSE view is that such an outlay is “cost effective”, one must wonder how such an organisation can manage its own finances.– Yours, etc,
MICHAEL AHERN,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.