Your Say: Reader's letter

I'VE heard it all now... Ireland's biggest hospital, The Mater, is to to take out a EUR5 million bank loan to help pay last year's funding shortfall.

Is this not absurd? How can the Government let this situation arise in the first place?

If it didn't have enough cash to pay its bills last year then how is it going to pay for this year and still make its quarterly repayments on the loan?

Does it count on their being fewer patients this year, or is it going to be more selective about who it treats - rich, private, patients only and no tiresome, drug consuming, terminally-ill people please.

Maybe it will be instructed to cut back on anaesthetic during operations or skimp on pain relief or sterilisation of instruments.

Perhaps patients will be forced to share beds and rely on packed lunches from caring relatives...

Better still - force patients to work during their stay, that might bring in a few euro...

You'd almost think politicians didn't have to rely on hospitals - as if they never got sick or had private health care...

T Kelly

Co Dublin

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