This article is from page 68 of the 2009-04-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 68 JPG
THE old ways of managing both the economy and the health system need to be totally scrapped and rebuilt from scratch if Ireland is to over- come the current economic crisis.
That was the message from Clare TD and newly re-elected member of the Fine Gael Executive Council, Martin Conway, at this weekend’s Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Dubllin.
“The economy has now entered centre-stage and Fine Gael, as a party, have a great asset in its deputy leader Richard Bruton – who is seen as being 100 per cent strong on the economy,” he said.
‘The Fine Gael party certainly be- lieve that Richard Bruton as finance minister would take a blank sheet and start from scratch and, at this stage, that is probably what is required. We need a new Government with a new strategy and a mandate to start from scratch and rebuild the economy.
‘There is a feeling that the people at the top seem to get away with eve- rything. We are now faced with a sit- uation in next week’s budget where the people at the bottom are going to have to fund it.”
Health also dominated much of the debates at the Ard Fheis, with Fine Gael announcing details of a univer- sal healthcare system.
“The other major thing that Fine Gael have announced is its health
policy, where we are going to have universal healthcare. Fine Gael will put in a system if they get into Gov- ernment where we will have a uni- versal health insurance which will eliminate the two-tier health system which currently exists,’ continued Conway.
“Again I think we need to take a blank sheet, start from scratch and build a universal health system that BUN Mores eles eUmrU 0B
“James Reilly, the FG spokesperson on health, has been to Ennis Hospi- tal. He has spoken with the people who are involved in the implementa- tion of the Teamwork Report and he had made it clear that it is Fine Gael’s policy to retain 24-hour consultant-
led accident and emergency services at Ennis General Hospital.
‘There are examples in other coun- tries and even in Northern Ireland where small emergency centres like Ennis are properly funded and do save lives.
“At the end of the day, if you are coming from Loop Head into Limer- ick in the middle of rush-hour traffic, then you have a problem.
“It may not have been mentioned directly but it certainly is uppermost on the minds of the delegates from Clare and the party health spokes- man.”