Dr Hilary Jones - Ireland has no health service

[LadyEloise]

I'm cross. I'm very cross !
How can an educated man, a medic, state that the country next to his has no health service on national television.
A country that shares a border with the UK ( Northern Ireland ).
In reply to Piers Morgan about countries using different strategies to cope with the pandemic, Dr Hilary Jones says that Ireland has to do what its doing because it has no health service.

That is simply not true.

We have the Health Service Executive, with about 100,000 employed in it. Much of it is free. GP visits and prescription charges are means tested. All children under 6 and pensioners over 70 have free HP care.
He did apologise on Twitter but I think, to reach a wider audience he needs to go back on the show and state the facts.
Our Prime Minister is a medical doctor.
We have a national health service. There is a free Breast Check, Cervical check,Immunisations for children and teenagers, Bowel screening etc.

What a shame neither of the two presenters , Piers or Susanna Reid could refute his claims at the time.

We’ve had that thieving too in hospitals. Unbelievable.

No health service? I wonder who has been paying my daughter for several years, I assumed it was the hse. I hope nobody here meets her. She claims she works in emergency medicine.
Waiting lists to access care are far too long at times. But I see a lot of similar complaints about the nhs. UK people seem to think that it's a unique set up, it isn't.

my elderly parents in ireland, who in theory should have free healthcare, pay for their blood tests at the GP, and 200-300 euros each time they see a consultant. Mam spent 6 days on a trolly waitng for a bed recently in a local A&E recently and nearly died. Its not really a joined up system, and the per capita spend on healthcare is high because the wages are much heogher, not because its being spent on patients.

There isn't a universal health service for everyone and absolutely will be people outside of the threshold who worry about paying medical bills. Are you so offended because what he said was true? People are throwing out numbers like '40% of people get free coverage so that means we have national healthcare!'. No, it doesn't. While your system is 100x better than ours here in the US, it is nothing like the full NHS in the UK.

I'm not sure about cancer patients when I had a suspected lump I was 9 months in total waiting from consultation referral to MRI referral to biopsy publicly. It was a long time to me.

That sounds stressful. I hope it was negative. However, a friend of mine who did have breast cancer was seen within 4 weeks so I think it depends on severity.

People are throwing out numbers like '40% of people get free coverage so that means we have national healthcare!'.

Unless I've missed something, nobody has said that except you. I said that I thought the number with medical cards was approx 40%. I also said it was a public/private system, not national healthcare.

@smallplainblonde - Not the point of the thread really but this is not true. It’s €80 a night for a hospital stay. It does cap at a certain amount but I recently had to pay €400.

You're right. Sorry. I got a bit confused. I'd forgotten that there is a capped charge for for overnight if you go public. You can claim it back on tax though.

The cap is 10 over nights per year. Usually stay rate is the same as a&e admission €100 per night. If you are kept in as an inpatient from a&e the a&e charge is wavered. You can claim a percentage of tax back depending on your income tax rate.

DH is diabetic and his meds are free.
We don't have a medical card.
It was not means tested.

As an aside the D in DH is questionable at the moment. He is obsessed with the Coronavirus.

My dd2 had a breast lump query about 5 years ago, gp sent a letter to hospital, five weeks later she had a consultant appointment, all very smooth. The system when it works is good. Sometimes it doesn't work - a bit like NHS.
The layers of bureaucracy don't help - paying, claiming tax back, private insurance and the rest. And hse paying salaries through voluntary agencies. It needs a financial overhaul, and consultants should only work in one hospital at a time.

What? That's hilarious. If I was Irish I'd be

Even better some man on the TV earlier, being interviewed I assume politician, said that Europe can't cope at all and isn't ready and everyone is struggling and we are fine as NHS is best in the world.

What???

Every single European country has a substantial healthcare system, nothing to touch NHS?

There's a lot of this stuff being said about how UK is best in world at everything and all other countries and all the people in them are hopeless etc just awful.

Substandard not substantial!

I haven’t seen him in years but watched him on Lorraine yesterday I thought he really didn’t give any decent advice at all, it was all perfect world stuff if I can’t visit my elderly mum then my brothers will etc etc Then Jenny Bond the royal correspondant came on and said I can self isolate quite happily as I live in a beautiful part of the world and my nearest neighbour is down in the valley! Honestly it was a smug fest all round.

Are sure that he said “ireland has no health service” or did he say “Ireland has no national health service”?

I didn’t see him but I’m kinda flabbergasted that he’d make such a mistake. So, sorry but I’m doubting you, not him.

Didn't know Ireland had charges. I had assumed it was similar to NHS.

So glad we have free healthcare at the point of access.

We pay €300 per month for our health insurance (family of 4) but then again we have no council tax or water bills so 🤷‍♀️

@Deadringer I read your comment 5 minutes ago and I'm still laughing ! Hilarious.

Can only comment on my own experience. 3 c sections on the public scheme. Excellent care . Kept in 4 nights all 3 times. Physio classes, lactation consultants, medication all free. Have heard of English women fired out the door the following morning with a prescription for paracetamol. So in thay regard the Irish system is better.

He said it's largely a private service and you pay your GP every time you see them

I'd agree. I don't know anyone who doesn't pay to see a GP. Everyone I know has health insurance. I believe the NHS equivalent, if it could be called that is means tested and only the poorest/those on social welfare have "free" healthcare at point of use.

As an aside the D in DH is questionable at the moment. He is obsessed with the Coronavirus

Me too. It's all he talks about, He is adding to the hysteria. Next he'll start stockpiling. I'm ready to talk to a lawyer, as soon as I can get out of the house!

This man has always been a dim-witted, arrogant, trumped up, pervy, creepy, smarmy POS. He probably got on telly due to nepotism and connections, it is certainly not for his intelligence. It's best to disregard anything he says as he is ignorant and stupid AF.

Maternity care is also free. Unless you choose to pay!

@lettybriggs, ooh la la at you, I live in the bosom of D4 won't say where, and I'm sure i know people who have a medical card! what circles are you mixing in that you don't know a soul with a medical card!

I don’t really know anyone with a medical card. My health insurance is around 280e per month for 4 of us but my dh company pay it for us. My gp is 70e a go but you are guaranteed a same day appointment and kids under 6 are free. Of course we have a national health service but we don’t all rely on it as much as the nhs. Those who can pay