Local TD calls for Private Hospital Nationalisation

Ryan calls for private hospitals to be nationalised

Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, Patricia Ryan, has called for private hospitals to be nationalised to help in the fight against Covid-19.

Patricia said:

“I have written to the Health Minister to urge him to nationalise Private Hospitals as soon as possible. I have read worrying reports in the last few days relating to our ICU capacity  and have been contacted by families of those in ICU beds that are concerned about their loved ones. They are particularly concerned about the recent announcement that healthcare workers, who are deemed close contacts of someone with Covid 19, are being called back to work if they have no symptoms.

They are worried that we will end up with a similar situation to Italy and Spain last year, where ventilators were taken off some people and given to those that had a better chance of survival. In Italy age was used as a criteria and it is not something I would like to see happening here. I hope if we can act now, we can get ahead of this and prevent our hospitals from being over-run. I await the Minister’s response,” she concluded.