US health swindle shows folly of Harney privatisation - Ó Caoláin
The links between private hospital developers in Ireland and the US private
health
business which is mired in fraud highlight the folly of Tánaiste and
Minister
for Health and Children Mary Harney’s privatisation policy
according
to Sinn Féin Dáil leader and Health and Children spokesperson
Caoimhghín
Ó Caoláin TD.
Ó Caoláin was commenting on
revelations about the links between Triad Hospitals which is to run
the new Beacon Hospital in South County Dublin
and its subsidiary
company Quorum which is facing fraud charges in the
United
States in a case filed by the US Government in February 2006.
Deputy
Ó Caoláin said, “Fraud by private health corporations in the US is
widespread.
Among those involved have been Quorum which is a subsidiary of
Triad.
Triad is the company which is set to run the new Beacon private
hospital
in South County Dublin. It has been reported that Triad has also
made
bids to run six of the eleven private hospitals to be built on public
hospital
sites under the Tánaiste’s privatisation scheme.
“The
US experience reinforces what Sinn Féin and people across the health
sector
in Ireland have being saying when we deplored the massive amounts of
public
money being poured into the private health business by this FF/PD
Government.”
ENDS