Health Minister Varadkar's spin doctors upset by criticism of pre-election PR tour of A&Es

HEALTH MINISTER Leo Varadakar should spend more time on solving the hospitals crisis that brought nurses to the brink of strike action this week and less time getting tetchy about criticism of his “PR tour” of A&E wards for Fine Gael photocalls ahead of the Dáil general election, Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has said.

The Fine Gael/Labour minister's press office claimed he was “stunned” by the Tallaght Sinn Féin TD's description of his string of hospital visits as a “whistle-stop PR tour”. The Health Minister's spin doctor's immediately retorted that the minister should be allowed to see the situation in A&Es “at first hand”.

Seán Crowe replied:

“I have no problem with the Health Minister seeing the situation at first hand – it's certainly better than him sitting on his hands. But people are justifiably cynical that photos of the minister's public concern and talk of plans to solve problems happen on the eve of a general election.

“I accept the Health Minister's contention that the crisis cannot be solved 'overnight' but his Fine Gael party has been five years in power – five years – and this week a strike by nurses at the end of their tether because of understaffing and overcrowding was narrowly averted at the eleventh hour.

“Leo Varadkar's and Joan Burton's Fine Gael/Labour Government have had five years in power while patients and their families have had five frustrating, agonising years on trolleys and waiting lists, suffering the shambles and the chaos of the health service Fine Gael and Labour are supposed to be in charge of.

“Patients are sick enough without having to suffer half-baked excuses from the Health Minister's spin doctors.

“It's time to end the chaos and end the chaos brought about by Fine Gael/Labour.”