Sir, – The confusion and politics around Covid-related restrictions is deeply unsettling, as the country faces into uncertainties about the future trajectory of the virus, with all of the knock-on effects on civil society and the economy.
I recently contracted Covid and was hospitalised for almost a month in St Vincent’s in Dublin. For some people, the illness passes relatively quickly. For others, including myself, it is a different experience.
I left hospital with a profound sense of gratitude – and with a question. The really hard work of engaging with Covid happens behind hospital doors: in the team meetings of consultants and senior staff, as test results are evaluated; at the nurses’ stations which deliver expert and empathic care, engaging with patients and, let’s not forget, their families; in rehab and GP clinics, and in managing research that is fundamental to the future efficacy of treating the virus on the island.
As a process, it is calm, focussed and seamless. So why does the politics of healthcare seem so very different?
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When you have been supported by medical, nursing and allied professionals through isolation and the struggles of early recovery, believe me, you wonder about these things. Just a thought. – Yours, etc,
RAY KINSELLA,
Co Wicklow.