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Dropping into @OireachtasNews TV during my coffee break is always informative. But perhaps not in the way that some think.
Firstly, kudos to the boys and girls behind the consistently excellent broadcast stream. This is important public service.
Firstly, kudos to the boys and girls behind the consistently excellent broadcast stream. This is important public service.
The joint Oireachtas committee on health is currently taking place with representatives from INMO, IHCA and IMO (among others). (I joined late so I can't see all participants.)
As you might expect when it comes to health, there is a fair amount of politics at play. TDs and Senators using their allotted time to ask long rambling questions that are heavy on indignation and light on insight.
Perhaps not surprisingly, when representatives of healthcare workers get an opportunity to talk to people in authority, they don't hold back. Some are more insightful and focused than others, but there is no doubt about everyone's sincerity.
It can be a frustrating watch. Some committee members and indeed some invited guests can't let an opportunity to unload. Ending your clearly political rant with a statement that your not being political doesn't fool anyone.
Taking 4.5 minutes of your allotted 5 mins to present a series of open ended questions cunningly disguised as a monologue is a well worn craft. It is frustrating for the person questioned because they don't get the opportunity to respond.
I often think it would be more productive if the questioner had to write their query out before asking it. Indeed if the committee agreed to brainstorm all their questions in private and allocated these to the different committee members. It would be better use of time.
It would be more respectful to the guests/witnesses and would reflect better on our elective representatives to their electorate.
Some though breakthrough this strange contrived pantomime. Some speakers are clear, focused and fearless. They don't showboat. They pass the tempting opportunity to show how smart they are. They demonstrate instead how much they care about the issue under discussion.
Well done to @GColleranMD who is, in my view, the most effective in this regard. I am sure that she could have used the full allocated time to deliver a treatise on the issues that bedevil our health service.
Instead, she chose to give a clear call to action in respect of the specialism of public health. Highlighting the gross deficits that have amassed over decades, she pointed the way forward - recognition of consultant status, people, IT and infrastructure.
The benefits will accrue to society during this pandemic and during those which will emerge in years to come. It represents the most strategic investment in health, generating the best return on investment (after the provision of clean water and sanitation).
