Sir, - I must congratulate your paper and correspondents for the very informative and excellent evaluations of health systems especially in other European member-states.
As someone who is appalled by the manner in which hospital and community care services have been allowed to deteriorate, and in the absence of any real political will and social vision in this part of the EU, especially during our much talked about period of unprecedented economic growth, I feel it is time to explore other alternative avenues as a matter of urgency.
Perhaps such an avenue would be to invite one of our European partner states like Denmark to assume responsibility for the management of medical services and patient welfare in this country until morale and public confidence have been fully restored.
Such a move would no doubt require special national and inter-state legislation and obviously mean, at least, an external review of the manner in which our health care system is currently funded and managed - if not a total revision of our general taxation system.
The long-term benefits of securing another national authority with a proven ability in healthcare to assume responsibility at this critical stage would, to my mind, considerably enhance the quality of life for all our citizens, improve working conditions for all hospital and community care personnel and far outweigh any possible additional necessary increases in taxation. - Yours, etc.,
Peter Gaughan, Monkstown, Co Dublin.