Public Health Service Campaign

Protest Rally on Medical Cards for Over 70s 12.30 pm 22 October

2008-10-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Dublin Council of Trade Unions and the Public Health
Service Campaign offer their support for the

Protest Rally
on
Withdrawal of Medical Cards for Over 70s

Wednesday
22nd October 2008
12.30 pm

Dáil Eireann
Kildare Street Entrance

Senior Citizens Parliament
01 8561234
ceo@seniors.ie

Public Health Service Campaign
healthcampaign@gmail.com
www.publichsc.blogspot.com

Saturday 11th October Running Order

2008-10-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

Running order:

Songs as people assemble (Music by members of Aslan & The Brilliant Trees)

2 p.m. Parnell Square

Conor MacLiam pins bandana on banner for Susie Long

Speakers:
Prof John Crown, Consultant oncologist
Liam Doran, Irish Nurses Organisation General Secretary
Colm Seville, brother of Beverly Seville-Doyle.
Kevin Callinan, National Secretary, IMPACT
Noelle Duddy, Co-op Cancer Care North West
Joe Guillfoyle, National Campaign for Save St Luke's

Approx 3.30 p.m. Merrion Square

Songs while arriving

Speakers:
Louise O'Reilly, National Nursing Official, SIPTU,
Dr. Teresa Graham, SIN, Stop Infections Now Campaign, (MRSA),
Audrey Deane, Social Policy Advisor, St. Vincent de Paul Society,

Songs

Speakers
Janette Byrne, Patients Together,
Dr. Christine O'Malley, Consultant, Nenagh Hospital, Doctors Alliance for Better Public Healthcare
Walter Cullen, Unite trade union
Peadar McMahon, Health Services Action Group and Monaghan Hospital Community Alliance.

Songs

The marching order is

Front banners
Trade union and patients/hospital/health groups
Other groups and political parties

Volunteers & Speakers & Buses

2008-10-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

VOLUNTEERS

Last Volunteers Meeting
6 pm Thursday 9th October, Liberty Hall, Dublin
Leafleteers and posterers needed

SPEAKERS

Speakers at the rally:

Prof John Crown, Consultant oncologist
Liam Doran, Irish Nurses Organisation General Secretary
Janette Byrne from Patients Together,
Conor Seville, brother of Beverly.
Kevin Callinan, National Secretary, IMPACT
Audrey Deane, Social Policy Advisor, St. Vincent de Paul Society,
Peadar McMahon of the Health Services Action Group and the Monaghan Hospital Community Alliance,
Louise O'Reilly, National Nursing Official, SIPTU,
Dr. Teresa Graham, SIN, Stop Infections Now Campaign, (MRSA),
Walter Cullen, Unite trade union

Conor MacLiam, husband of Susie Long, will place the first ‘bandana’ on a ‘bunting of bananas’ at the beginning of the march to remember all those who through late diagnosis or misdiagnosis are no longer with us.

Live music will be provided by ASLAN members and other artists.

BUSES

Irish Nurses Organisation and SIPTU Branches have been authorised to hire buses. INO and SIPTU members and local groups should contact the local SIPTU or INO Branch. Waterford Council of Trade Unions are running a bus up: contact the UNITE trade union in Waterford.

Postering this weekend - all hands needed

2008-10-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Two city centre postering expeditions:

Meet

3 pm Saturday outside Liberty Hall

11 am Sunday outside Liberty Hall

Volunteers meeting Thursday 6 pm Liberty Hall

087 4116357
healthcampaign@gmail.com
www.publichsc.blogspot.com

Bandanna Bunting

2008-09-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Message from Janette Byrne, former cancer patients and spokesperson for Patients Together :

Planning for the protest march of October 11th:

In recent years we have all heard of the horrendous way some cancer patients have suffered in our Health System.

*
Late diagnosis. (Too late for our friend Susie Long and many others)
*
Misdiagnosis
*
No Beds
*
Long waits for scans, chemotherapy, radiotherapy
*
Some losing their lives not to cancer but to hospital acquired infections

As part of the ‘Public Health Service Campaign’s’ protest on the 11th of October and with your help we want to create a ‘bandanna bunting’

What’s involved:

*
If you were a cancer patient you can bring a bandanna and pin it on with everyone else on the day.
*
If you had a loved one who experienced cancer and you wish to pin a bandanna on their behalf that is fine also.

*
Bandannas may be signed and include a message.
*
We want to make this cancer patients support as large as possible.
*
If you are unwell and unable to attend the protest you can post your bandanna to 82, Finglas Park Dublin 11
*
Conor MacLiam, husband of Susie Long, will pin up the first bandanna before the march

Only with your support will this happen.

Lets make this protest the greatest ever. We did it for the Antiwar campaign, we did it for Irish Ferries, we even did it in support of Bewleys; now your health deserves your support.

Please forward this message to others

Janette Byrne Patients Together 085-7302798

SECOND VOLUNTEERS MEETING

2008-09-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Next Thursday, 2nd October, at 6 p.m. in Liberty Hall.

Planning for postering of city and suburbs.

LARGE POSTERS FOR LAMPOSTS will be available.

Leaflets, window stickers and smaller posters also available.

For supplies contact below

healthcampaign@gmail.com

087 4116357

www.publichsc.blogspot.com

Your Health - Your Protest
2 pm Saturday 11th October 2008
Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

No cuts in Health spending in the budget!!

Leaflets, posters, car window stickers now available

2008-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Available now from 087 4116357 or healthcampaign@gmail.com

Stick it to 'em: car stickers for 11th October available

2008-09-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Car window and window stickers for 11th October march now available.

Take a bunch.

Contact 087 4116357 or 085 7302798 or healthcampaign@gmail.com

Introduction to the Public Health Service Campaign.

2008-08-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Within days of each other in October 2007, but quite independently, a letter appeared in the newspapers and the Dublin Council of Trade Unions passed a special Resolution. The letter, from a series of patient’s groups and medical practitioners, took up the call of the recently and tragically deceased Susie Long for a campaign, supported by the trade unions, for a decent public health service available to all.

Spurred too by the recent health service scandals, and also by the HSE’s new budget squeeze and recruitment embargo, the October meeting of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) agreed to a proposal for just such a campaign by the trade unions that would also involve patients groups and campaigns and the general public.

A sub-committee of the DCTU executive was established to organise a campaign. It met, and received the endorsement of, the Staff Panel of Health trade unions. The campaign went on to receive considerable backing and support from several individual trade unions. The campaign received the endorsement of the Youth Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and they joined the organising committee. The campaign adopted the title Campaign for a Decent Public Health Service.

The committee organised a public meeting in Liberty Hall on 11^th February on the theme, ‘ENOUGH! A DECENT PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE NOW!’ About 300 attended and it was addressed by speakers from SIPTU, the Irish Nurses Organisation, IMPACT, Doctors Alliance for Better Healthcare, Patients Together and by Conor MacLiam, husband of Susie Long. (A DVD record of this meeting is available. See also the report in the Irish Times Health supplement, 12^th February 2008.)

The meeting agreed on a proposal from the DCTU that there would be a protest march in Dublin on 29^th March. A widely supported campaign, including meetings of Volunteers, came together to build for the march. Patients Together, who have been battling for patients interests for some years, joined the organising committee.

The march was a great success, bringing together trade unions, patients’ and hospital groups, concerned medical professionals and community organisations from many parts of the country. (See Indymedia, 29^th March and following days, for photographs, and a film clip on www.saveourladys.ie) While the number of marchers, at about seven to eight thousand, was greater than in media reports, there was less than might have been expected given the national anger about the state of the Health Service. However, it represented the activists from, and a new coalition of, those working in, dependent on, and campaigning to defend, the public Health and hospital Services. It showed the basis for an effective campaign. Experience also shows that campaigns are often built up from smaller beginnings and don’t happen overnight.

Following the march a Representative Conference of health unions, Trades Councils, patients’, hospital and doctors’ groups was held in Dublin on 26^th April 2008. Among the decisions taken were to have a showing at the Dáil on the 7^th May on the occasion of the elevation of the new Taoiseach (which was a successful), to have co-ordinated regional protests on the same day around the country at the end of June and to aim for a large demonstration in Dublin in the autumn.

A great number of local meetings and marches by various groups around the country, especially by the campaigns to defend local hospitals, are taking place. Some have been attended by the Campaign. However local timetables did not allow the co-ordination of local protests on a single day as hope for. Nevertheless the Campaign has contacted the other Trades Councils and will work with any of them and other local groups organising any local efforts.

The main objective now is to have a large gathering in Dublin on Saturday11^th October of trade unionists, patient and health campaigners and the general public to demand and end to the crisis in, and privatisation of, the Health Service and for a civilised and fully-funded public Health Service available to all.

Rather improvements in the Health Service, the government have embarked on an even bigger round of cutbacks.

The April Conference reviewed the draft aims of the Campaign and in May the Organising Committee adopted a statement and eight aims (see next post), which have been endorsed by the executive of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions.

In June the Organising Committee decided to change the name of the Campaign to the Public Health Service Campaign. Our campaign wishes to work with all those struggling for a decent public Health Service and to protect the service we have.

Leaflets, posters and car stickers for 11^th October will soon be available.

Statement and Aims:

We call for an end to the constant crises in, and underfunding of, our Public Health Service.

In one of the wealthiest countries in the world it is past time we had a fully funded and life-long Public Health Service available to all when needed, and equal and speedy access to emergency and hospital services irrespective of income and place of residence.

We join together in the Public Health Service Campaign to act together to seek through word and agreed action:

1. End the Health budget cutbacks and embargos on staff recruitment.

2. Equal access to hospital services irrespective of income and place of residence; no public hospital closures or downgrades.

3. A fully funded, adequately staffed and life-long Public Health Service available to all.

4. Immediate and major investment in tackling the national emergencies in the Accident & Emergency service and in Hospital Acquired Infections.

5. An immense reduction now in the public waiting lists for diagnosis and for treatment.

6. For the highest standards in diagnosis and in communications with patients.

7. Investment in public hospital beds instead of co-location tax breaks and land grants to for-profit hospitals.

8. A primary care system, based on public service and not-for-profit principles, to allow people receive excellent care in their homes and communities.

Dublin 11th October: Your Health- Your Protest

2008-08-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE CAMPAIGN
- United for a First Class Public Health Service

Dublin Council of Trade Unions
ICTU Youth Committee
Patients Together

healthcampaign@gmail.com

Phone 087 4116357

Mandela House
44, Lower Gardiner Street,
Dublin, 1.

YOUR HEALTH - YOUR PROTEST

Calling all trade unions, patients' groups, Trades Councils, hospital
campaigns, health professional bodies, community organisations, health
campaigns, the general public.

MARCH & RALLY

For a first class Public Health Service
Against cutbacks in the Health Service
Against privatisation of the Public Health Service

Assemble 2.00 pm, Saturday, 11th October 2008.
Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin, 1.

Organise a contingent from your town or locality.