Back in the days of smog-filled Dublin, Mary Harney was a much admired politician. She tackled the problem of pollution by introducing smokeless fuel and with one small stroke of her pen, many lives were changed for the better. This week, with another small stroke of her pen, she has put value-for-money ahead of people’s lives. Mary Harney, our Minister for Health, has lost the plot. It’s time for her to go.
Last year, Mary Harney approved the introduction of a cervical cancer vaccination (HPV) programme for all 12-year old girls in Ireland. We were told that the programme would significantly reduce overall cervical cancer rates. The cervical cancer vaccination protects against infection by a virus that leads to cervical pre-cancer which ultimately leads to cervical cancer. This programme was seen as complimentary to the cervical screening programme introduced earlier this year for all women in the 25-50 age bracket. Harney has now decided to put the cervical cancer vaccination programme on-hold. She is prepared to put the health of 27,000 young girls at risk in order to balance her books. Our Minister for Health wants a health service that is based on cost effectiveness. People no longer matter, she is driven by her ideology to privatise healthcare in this country. Harney also announced that the annual health-spending increase of 8-10% per year since 1997, is due to decrease to just over 3% next year. So if you think things are bad now, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Yesterday, a listener on the Ray D’Arcy show suggested a way to let Mary Harney know what we think of her policy. She suggested that we send emails to the Minister with photos of our daughters expressing our dismay over this decision to deny these girls a vaccine which may prevent them getting cervical cancer in later years.
If you’d like to send a photo of your daughter, the address is minister’s_office@health.irlgov.ie or the Ray D’Arcy show has a link at Today FM where you can send an email directly.
If these pictures don’t make Mary Harney change her mind, then nothing will. Well done! Gingerpixel.
UPDATE: I omitted to say congrats to Red Mum for getting this campaign off the ground. Red Mum has some more ideas here on what action you can take to keep this campaign live. Keep up the pressure on Harney!
Biopsy Report 
Hi Steph, Yep Grannymar has beaten you to the draw on this one. It’s a great idea but I’d be lobbying someone who CAN make a difference. I believe Harney is on the way out. Send it to your local members too! Send it to your opposition party and get them to debate it hard in parliament! Time they actually earned their salaries. The vaccination is free to women between 12 and 25 here and there’s a program in schools. Very good idea.
Hi! Baino
Grannymar just knows how to work the room (blogging community) better than I do 😦
You make a fair point. As Ian suggests (over at Grannymars), we might have better effect if we were to target this campaign at the FF and the GreenTD’s. We do have a hard-working Health spokesperson in opposition in the name of Dr. James O’Reilly (FG) who makes his voice well-heard at every opportunity.
Here’s how the government should be helping to protect our daughters, as rolled out by the Northern Ireland cervical cancer vaccine programme:
http://www.helpprotectyourself.info/content/welcome
With thanks to the Cedar Lounge Revolution for drawing my attention to this website.
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