Those Who Can’t Pay for Private Healthcare will Suffer
A senior medic has recently said that patients who cannot afford to pay upfront for medical care are going to suffer under the new reimbursement scheme announced by the Health Minister aimed at tackling hospital waiting lists.
From June 2025, patients waiting more than two years for an operation will be able to claim back money if they pay for a procedure in the Republic of Ireland.
However, Dr. Clodagh Corrigan, the deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, believes the scheme will only make the existing situation worse.
"We know there is an enormous gap in health access and in poverty in Northern Ireland," she told BBC's Sunday Politics programme.
"If we are now in a position where we are providing a better health service to those who can afford it, we are going to see that disparity become even greater and people who cannot afford to pay for their healthcare upfront really suffering."
This is exactly what the Workers Party have been highlighting for years. At a time when working people are living from hand to mouth to make ends meet, and are making choices between heating and eating, more people suffering from poverty, and health inequalities getting worse, it is outrageous that the Health Minister incentivises them to pay for healthcare. In any case, we cannot expect many working people, who may not have adequate savings, to avail of the scheme. The vast majority of patient will still be on the waiting list while those with the money can get healthcare faster.
"We know there is an enormous gap in health access and in poverty in Northern Ireland. If we are now in a position where we are providing a better health service to those who can afford it, we are going to see that disparity become even greater and people who cannot afford to pay for their healthcare upfront really suffering." Dr Corrigan
The Workers Party have been warning about the creation of a two-tier healthcare system for over a decade. What was once a goal promoted by stealth is now being openly advocated. Politicians, the health service, and other organisations willing to lend money for medical procedures, are conditioning people into believing that it is somehow normal to pay for medical treatment.
We have paid for the National Health Service through our National Insurance Contributions and income taxes; there should be no question of paying for medical treatment. The NHS was set up so that working class people could receive medical treatment free at the point of entry. It is unconscionable that those who can pay will be able to jump the queue to receive their medical treatment.
The creation of the NHS in 1948 turned poor houses into hospitals: are we willing to allow NHS hospitals to revert to poor houses? This is yet another blow to low-income families and communities. We need to fight for the core values of the NHS free at the point of need from the cradle to the grave.
