Workers Solidarity Movement

Over Christmas I found myself at home babysitting my niece while my "better half B" had to go to work. Around 3.00 o'clock B rang me in pain that was so intense I could not make out what she was trying to tell me. After a few attempts it turned out that she had pain in her lower belly and she was on her way to the GP. 
 

The GP after giving her an injection to reduce her suffering referred her to Beaumont hospital. My niece and I hopped into the car and drove all the way to Dublin to collect B to bring her to Accident and Emergency in Beaumont. We arrived around five pm and it was packed. B registered herself and we all sat down patiently waiting for her to be seen by someone. Due to several restrictions in place in the hospital because of an outbreak of a vomiting bug, that is apparently more dangerous for young kids than for adults and because I had my niece with me I reluctantly had to leave my partner in A&E. I left, went back home in Skerries and waited till midnight to see what will be the outcome. I was on alert ready to drive back in to the hospital.

B from the time that she got registered until this time of writing has been seen by a nurse, for urine sample, a doctor for bloods and has spent the whole sleepless night in a chair on a "drip". Fifteen hours after arriving into that hospital, I've managed to get in and see her for a minute. She is still sitting in the chair, sleepless, and awaits the scan.

Now, there is reasons why I am writing this piece. First of all, this is the norm for all our hospitals all over the Republic, secondly, staff has been polite and do absolutely their very best to deal with the situation. But how can you fight that kind of a battle without resources, without nurses, doctors and beds.

I wonder what happens when our glorious leaders, Enda, Gilmore or O'Reilly get sick, do they have to go through all this waiting, suffering and discomfort. I bet you they don't, because if they had to see their wives, sons or daughters have to endure that crap, probably they would stop destroying our already failing health system with all these cuts!

We are paying every day for this health system that is failing us constantly, for the majority of us the cost of it is money but for some of us the price is life itself.

In the beginning I wrote that the whole story is the norm for our hospitals but why it is normal? What makes it normal? Why can all us regardless of our income  not have access to a much higher standard of health service provision and pushevery year on improving it, instead we leave the politicians and business interests to undermine it. Is there an end to this havoc? If we leave all these "Gangsters" to continue destroying our hospitals, cutting services, nurses and doctors don't be surprise if you see your loved ones die in the streets! 

You are the only one that can cure this disease called apathy! The only medicine for it, is participation, don't wait for misfortune to knock your door to realise the magnitude of destruction that is happening around you.