Wants, needs and our health service

Sir, – Terry Pattison's letter (Letters, July 6th) concerns the difference between wants and needs in our current Covid restrictions debacle.

I could not disagree more. Everybody’s wants and needs align on both wanting and needing a health system that can provide a capacity to deal not only with this current crisis, but also deliver on the HSE’s own requirement of 250-plus additional ICU beds needed to deal with our waiting lists. (The last year raises the question of how could these possibly be staffed). This is the true reason we are outliers to other developed countries – it is not antigen testing or indoor dining.

But shh! Let’s not mention the real problem and keep quarrelling and arguing among ourselves about anything but the real thing we all both want and need. – Yours, etc,

DARACH DELANEY,

READ SOME MORE

Blanchardstown,

Dublin.