Two-tier Health System

D

dereko1969

Registered User
Messages
3,046
Proof, if ever it was even required, that those in the public health system are treated worse than those paying for private health care.

[broken link removed]

"A consultant surgeon who delegated an operation to a registrar who carried out the wrong procedure said if he had known Baby X was a private patient he would have done the procedure himself."

So even though he also had a contract with the State to provide consultancy services, the only contract he was bothered with was his contract with private insurers?
 
I know a theatre nurse in one of the country's biggest hospitals. She told me categorically that all patients regardless of whether public or private receive the same treatment by nursing staff.

From experience, I would somewhat agree that consultants don't necessarily operate on the same basis and that's where we need the reform. With so much HSE administration in place, there has to be an easy way of public vs. private being dealt with in the background without the frontline staff even knowing which patient is 'worth more'.

I also think that there should be a clear split in time any medical professional deals with public vs. private patients, mainly to ensure that public patients are not eternally stuck on endless waiting lists. Consutants should be paid the same amount of money per patient and if private health insurers are willing to pay a bit more for appointments, then the hospital budget should be supplemented by the excess. In my opinion, private health insurance should serve no other purpose than to buy patient an appointment sooner, rather than better quality care.
 
We recently became aware that our child needed to attend an eye specialist. He needs to see someone now as it will be too late to do anything for his condition in 2 to 3 years. All the hospitals have a waiting list of at least 2 to 3 years so it's not an option. The fact we pay 2.5K a year on health insurance was irrelevant. We rang around a couple of private hospitals and got an appointment within one week (for a fee of €150 of course).

Something wrong with the system.
 
Agree Shawady.

I had the same experience at the beginning of this year when my GP referred me to an ENT, she gave me a referral letter and said to check with his secretary how long his public list versus private was - and choose myself. His public list was 2 years long, anywhere he sat. His private list was 3 weeks long (same places). Naturally I took the 3 weeks.
 
truthseeker said:
Agree Shawady.

I had the same experience at the beginning of this year when my GP referred me to an ENT, she gave me a referral letter and said to check with his secretary how long his public list versus private was - and choose myself. His public list was 2 years long, anywhere he sat. His private list was 3 weeks long (same places). Naturally I took the 3 weeks.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, that is immoral, unChristian, and a shame on our society.

I have great respect for doctors.

But two separate waiting lists based on ability to pay is criminal in my opinion.
 
Protocol said:
I have great respect for doctors.
Click to expand...

I don’t.
There are as many (or more) greedy, dishonest and unscrupulous doctors as any other trades or professions. I’d say they are probably more self serving than any other profession as they believe their own hype.
If they were really that interested in helping people they wouldn't charge as much as they do (I include all doctors in that statement).
 
Protocol said:
But two separate waiting lists based on ability to pay is criminal in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Where's the universal health insurance system that this government promised?

The state shouldn't employ any doctors or nurses; there shouldn't be any public healthcare system. There should by publically funded insurance for those who cannot afford it themselves. That way everyone is a private patient as far as the doctor is concerned so he or she will see the illness and not the next repayment on their boat.
 
Protocol said:
In my opinion, that is immoral, unChristian, and a shame on our society.

I have great respect for doctors.

But two separate waiting lists based on ability to pay is criminal in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree. Traditionally ENT is a busy one in the public system for whatever reason.

There may be other consultancies where the public Vs private waiting list difference is a lot shorter.

Another reason that someone may prefer to go private is the guarantee of continuity - they will actually see the consultant himself and not one of his minions. I had the bad luck to be in the public system for years with an orthopediac issue (the original operation was as a teenager, they used to give me an annual appointment thereafter until I just stopped going one year in my early 20s because of the lack of continuity). Each year I would waste most of the very short appointment bringing whoever I saw up to speed on what the original problem was, what was done in the operation, the problems I was now having (or not) etc.. I always just felt it was a waste of time. No one actually listened to me, no one actually knew why they were seeing me, I was basically just taking up a slot on the public system because the standard procedure was to have me come back in once a year.

So much time is wasted in the public system in this way.
 
Purple said:
Consultants should be public or private, not both.
Click to expand...

That sounds very simple but also very impractical. If consultants had a choice of being either public or private, there would be no consultnts available for public patients.

truthseeker said:
Agree Shawady.

I had the same experience at the beginning of this year when my GP referred me to an ENT, she gave me a referral letter and said to check with his secretary how long his public list versus private was - and choose myself. His public list was 2 years long, anywhere he sat. His private list was 3 weeks long (same places). Naturally I took the 3 weeks.
Click to expand...

My husband was referred for some sort of a test at the end of June and got an appointment 2.5 weeks later, thanks to his private health insurance.

A colleague of his was referred for the same procedure in January this year as a public patient and still hasn't had his appointment.

I loathe this two-tier system based on ability to pay but would also hate being at mercy of public healthcare if something ever went seriously wrong. Just think about it, cancer which could have been 'caught' early enough to be treatable can get to advanced stages by the time you get an appointment to be seen. That's terrible!
 
Yachtie said:
That sounds very simple but also very impractical. If consultants had a choice of being either public or private, there would be no consultnts available for public patients.
Click to expand...
No, there are some that only have public lists.
Do remember that on top of their pay they are provided with receptionists and support staff and, as far as I know, have their insurance paid. They would have to pay for all that themselves if they only had a public list.
 
Purple said:
No, there are some that only have public lists.
Do remember that on top of their pay they are provided with receptionists and support staff and, as far as I know, have their insurance paid. They would have to pay for all that themselves if they only had a public list.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my understanding is that its to do with use of theatre, staff and insurance.

Thats why you tend to see a guy who sees both public and private in the same hospital - they make arrangements in places where they are already seeing public patients to see private ones too.

But its got to be more complex than that, if you are private only you probably wont have access to newer techniques being taught in the big teaching hospitals (or pioneering them yourself).

I know my last orthopediac guy looked down on a previous one Id seen because he was private only now and he actually commented sneeringly 'couldnt get a public salary'.
 
truthseeker said:
he actually commented sneeringly 'couldnt get a public salary'.
Click to expand...


That has more to do with money than access to skills.
The average payment per consultation is usually higher for public patients when you take all of the payments, including staff etc, into account. That's certainly the case with GP's where it's €50 average for private and €65 average for public. a 30% premium for working in a protected sector... not bad!
 
Purple said:
Where's the universal health insurance system that this government promised?
Click to expand...


What has happened to this promise??

Every voter should ask Minister Reilly about this promise of universal health insurance the next time he comes knocking looking for votes.
 
cashier said:
What has happened to this promise??

Every voter should ask Minister Reilly about this promise of universal health insurance the next time he comes knocking looking for votes.
Click to expand...

...and how are they going to introduce universal free at the point of delivery GP care without it?
 
Crazy, considering the billions that we are spending every year for a small population.
 
truthseeker said:
Who would wait 4 years or more to be seen?
Click to expand...

My elderly next door neighour told me had a procedure for a non-life threatening condition after a 3 year wait.
His son lives in another EU country and has the same condition. He had it done after 3 weeks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top