Healthcare crisis the fault of government, not nurses

I would like to comment on the recent criticism of nurses and the INO for allegedly compromising patient care. I attended the INO protest at St Vincents' hospital in Dublin in mid-April. All the INO speakers emphasised how they were putting patients first. The nurses were all back in for exactly 12 noon after holding a very dignified protest for one hour. They are conducting an incredible campaign in the face of a shameful level of government and media hostility.

The nurses have always and continue to put patients first. The same cannot be said of this government. This government has a cheek to criticise nurses when it is the government's failure to provide the 3,000 extra beds promised in 2002 that has led to our A&E and overcrowding crisis. It is the government's failure to give proper pay and conditions to nurses and employ more nurses that has led to a situation where beds lie idle because they cannot get nurses to cover them.

They also have some cheek when politicians on salaries greater than €100,000 are trying to tell nurses on less than €30,000 that they don't deserve a wage increase.

We are losing thousands of nurses every year because they are not getting decent pay and conditions. I and the People Before Profit Alliance publicly express our support for the nurses. But where were the so-called opposition parties at the protest? I didn't see any respresentative of Labour or Fine Gael. Would they do any different in government?

Rory Hearne, People Before Profit Alliance Candidate for Dublin South East