John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children famously said Ireland was closer to Boston than Berlin. Given the sheer inequity of the US health service why does she support the Americanisation of ours? Does she agree that a for-profit motive is at work in the US that leads to profit before people? Has she heard Dr. Risteard Mulcahy and Mr. Maurice Nelligan on the subject? They say that public patients are under-treated and private patients are often over-treated because money is involved. The gap will widen in such circumstances and it is not good for the patient. Have they got it wrong and misunderstood the Tánaiste? Have we who agree with them also misunderstood the concept?

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