Reilly apologises over remarks made to nurse at INMO conference - Health News | Irish Medical News | The Irish Times - Fri, May 10, 2013

Reilly apologises over remarks made to nurse at INMO conference - Health News | Irish Medical News | The Irish Times - Fri, May 10, 2013 

I haven't blogged in ages but this is worth sharing - our Minister for Health "Calamity" James Reilly visited the annual delegate conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation in Letterkenny in the beautiful northwest of Ireland in Co. Donegal.

He delivered a bland 20-minute speech with some massaged statistics and platitudes to negotiate on the more controversial decisions is department tried to impose on nurse in recent months, like having new graduate nurses work for 80% salary for 100% hours. He got the silent treatment from delegates who didn't applaud his entry but did applaud his comment on renegotiating the issues. 

However, he blew any goodwill he might have won by insulting an African nurse as he left the conference room. She sang "All we are saying enough is enough" apropos "No more cuts", which others were chanting. He said to her as he passed "You should stick to the day job". 

It enraged the delegates as they clamoured for him to apologise. The INMO General Secretary Liam Doran called out the nurse to the hallway where the Minister apparently apologised for his "quip" which he has tried to downplay, but we are not impressed. We were heartened to see the media clamouring to interview her after lunch. 

Given the sensitivities around healtcare delivery at this difficult time of cuts and 3 days of motions debates where nurses described the awful stresses in providing patient care, it was a particularly stupid thing to say, aside altogether from the fact he said it to an African nurse who may be here on a migrant visa with all the attendant hassle of work permits and residency renewals. 

No wonder they dub him Calamity James, and Dicey Reilly. Perhaps he should really practice what he preaches and stick to the day job - he certainly isn't doing so right now!