Northern Ireland's healthcare system is facing its worst crisis in decades, with patients dying while waiting for treatment, hospitals suspending emergency surgeries, and family doctors considering radical measures such as charging fees for GP visits. The crisis, driven by a decade of underfunding and policy paralysis, has overshadowed other issues like the cost of living and the political deadlock at Stormont.
This weekend, family doctors are set to vote on proposals to levy fees for GP visits, a move aimed at preventing the collapse of an overstretched system. Several GP surgeries have already closed, and more closures are expected. The situation has become so dire that the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen suspended unplanned emergency surgery after a consultant surgeon resigned, citing an inability to hire enough staff.
Local politicians and community activists have condemned the suspension, with protesters gathering outside Enniskillen town hall. Dermot Browne, a protester, told the BBC: 'The trust don’t understand what it’s like to have a rural hospital, travel is not acceptable.' However, consultant surgeon Barry McAree welcomed the move as overdue, arguing that consolidating services in larger units would better serve patients, despite longer travel times.
The political stalemate at Stormont has compounded the crisis, with all major parties accepting the need for healthcare restructuring but balking at unpopular measures. Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin's putative first minister, called for the restoration of devolved government after meeting exhausted and demoralised nurses. 'They are crying out for support and for help, just to do their jobs,' she said.
Waiting lists have been growing since 2013, with nearly a fifth of the population awaiting a first appointment and over half waiting more than a year. The number of people waiting over a month for cancer treatment has quintupled in the past decade. In November, an elderly patient died while waiting for treatment at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, which had over 60 patients awaiting admission. Other incidents include an elderly woman with a fractured kneecap waiting eight hours outside Antrim Area Hospital, and a former patient being jailed for assaulting a nurse.
