Dear Madam, - As someone who suffers from a congenital disability and has spent a lot of my younger years in hospital, it annoys me when I see or hear all the negative press directed at our health service. I think it’s important to remember that for whatever problems there are in our hospitals, the responsibility lies with the management of our health service and that it is only the sheer dedication and professionalism of all the staff on the ground which is preventing it from total collapse.

I wonder if individuals appreciate how fortunate they are when they look at the services we have, especially when you look at third world countries and countries where you have to pay extortionate fees for medical services.

The responsibility for the current mess nevertheless has to rest firmly with the current Health Minister. After asking for additional funds in the 2011 budget, Michael McGimpsey was chastised and his comments were even called ‘obscene’ by the First Minister. It has now transpired that Edwin Poots has actually received more than a quarter of a billion pounds of extra funding over recent years. This original funding gap weakened an otherwise strong Department and can be seen as the beginning of the problems in our hospitals which are now all too regular and precarious.

When we see huge amounts of money wasted on prime time TV adverts promoting the Irish language, or indeed the vast sums being spent on ‘reforming’ our local councils, it’s not surprising that the electorate are so sceptical about the capability of the current DUP/SF carve up at Stormont to deliver.

Yours faithfully, Victor Warrington