Laois County Councillor Aisling Moran has said that the health services should be controlled by local government and that the HSE needs to reformed.
Speaking in an interview with LaoisToday as part of our Life in Politics series, she argues that there are too many layers of management in the HSE and “that now more than ever it’s going to be important to make sure our health service is top notch”.
“I’d like to see the health services being controlled by local government,” she says.
“And there most definitely must be councillors on those committees. I think the reason the health service is the way it is, is because no one is held accountable for mistakes and the fact that councillors don’t sit on the health board means no one is highlighting the issues and making people accountable.
“We need control of our own services, such as mental health services, paediatric, dental and opthomology, to name but a few.
“All job vacancies need to be filled as a matter of urgency. Now more than ever it’s going to be important to make sure our health service is top notch.
“We need to start by filling all vacancies in all areas of the health service. I also think the HSE needs to be reformed. There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
“We need more people on the front line. There were a number of layers put into the HSE, layers of management being paid extortionate amounts of money and to be honest, they are all not really needed.
“We could do with more nurses, midwives, carers, SNAs etc – spend the money paying the people doing the hard work.”
In a wide-ranging interview she talks about her early political memories, why the slow nature of county council work can frustrate her sometimes and why she wouldn’t rule out contesting a General Election down the line.
You can read the interview in full on LaoisToday tomorrow, May 11.
