THERE IS enough money in the economy to realise the vision of our 1916 leaders. How this money is managed, therein lies the problem!
ONE EXAMPLE:
Absenteeism costs millions of euro each year and yet people can wait up to twelve months for treatment. This alone can cost €30,000 and more in Social Welfare payments, not to mention the cost to the company where the person is employed.
If treatment were available immediately, the patient would be fit to return to work in a month or two saving up to €20,000 in Social Welfare payments.
Based on the volume of patients who go through the Health Service each year this would result in huge savings and would fund a first class health service.
Nurses spend an average of 1 hour per day writing notes and documentation. Using modern inexpensive technology this time could be avoided. This would mean for a hospital with 300 nurses a time saving of 1,500 working hours per week which would be the equivalent of an extra 38 full time nurses in the hospital at no extra cost.
Nursing homes
The cost of keeping people in nursing homes would be better spent keeping people in their own homes for as long as possible by paying a reasonable carers allowance and a proper amount of home help. This would actually save the taxpayer millions every year.