SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Minister for Health Simon Harris at a news conference at Government Buildings in Dublin on March 24 where he announced Ireland will nationalize its healthcare system for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images)
'For Common Benefit of All,' Ireland Nationalizes Hospitals for Duration of Coronavirus Crisis, Sparking Demand for US to Follow Suit
"How wonderful is this. A beautiful silver lining."
Mar 26, 2020
The news that Ireland is nationalizing its healthcare system for the duration of the coronavirus crisis inspired observers including Rep. Ilhan Omar to call for the same approach in the U.S. as the world's largest economy faces the disease.
"For the duration of this crisis the State will take control of all private hospital facilities and manage all of the resources for the common benefit of all of our people," Ireland's Health Minister Simon Harris announced Tuesday. "There can be no room for public versus private when it comes to pandemic."
The move follows a decision by Spain on March 16 to do the same to that country's system and represents a "massive change" in Ireland's social safety net, tweeted Irish author Caelainn Hogan.
"There should be no going back from this," said Hogan.
Ireland's decision to nationalize the nation's healthcare system was made for the country's "national unity of purpose," Harris said.
"We must of course have equality of treatment, patients with this virus will be treated for free, and they'll be treated as part of a single, national hospital service," said Harris.
The move was seen by observers as a sign of hope in a world battered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened hundreds of thousands around the globe and killed at least 22,184 people.
"How wonderful is this," tweeted journalist Beena Sarwar. "A beautiful silver lining."
Omar, in a tweet Wednesday, cited Ireland's move as evidence that the coronavirus outbreak requires thinking outside the box.
"Maybe it makes sense to think of bold solutions that save lives in times of national crisis," said the Minnesota Democrat.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The news that Ireland is nationalizing its healthcare system for the duration of the coronavirus crisis inspired observers including Rep. Ilhan Omar to call for the same approach in the U.S. as the world's largest economy faces the disease.
"For the duration of this crisis the State will take control of all private hospital facilities and manage all of the resources for the common benefit of all of our people," Ireland's Health Minister Simon Harris announced Tuesday. "There can be no room for public versus private when it comes to pandemic."
The move follows a decision by Spain on March 16 to do the same to that country's system and represents a "massive change" in Ireland's social safety net, tweeted Irish author Caelainn Hogan.
"There should be no going back from this," said Hogan.
Ireland's decision to nationalize the nation's healthcare system was made for the country's "national unity of purpose," Harris said.
"We must of course have equality of treatment, patients with this virus will be treated for free, and they'll be treated as part of a single, national hospital service," said Harris.
The move was seen by observers as a sign of hope in a world battered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened hundreds of thousands around the globe and killed at least 22,184 people.
"How wonderful is this," tweeted journalist Beena Sarwar. "A beautiful silver lining."
Omar, in a tweet Wednesday, cited Ireland's move as evidence that the coronavirus outbreak requires thinking outside the box.
"Maybe it makes sense to think of bold solutions that save lives in times of national crisis," said the Minnesota Democrat.
The news that Ireland is nationalizing its healthcare system for the duration of the coronavirus crisis inspired observers including Rep. Ilhan Omar to call for the same approach in the U.S. as the world's largest economy faces the disease.
"For the duration of this crisis the State will take control of all private hospital facilities and manage all of the resources for the common benefit of all of our people," Ireland's Health Minister Simon Harris announced Tuesday. "There can be no room for public versus private when it comes to pandemic."
The move follows a decision by Spain on March 16 to do the same to that country's system and represents a "massive change" in Ireland's social safety net, tweeted Irish author Caelainn Hogan.
"There should be no going back from this," said Hogan.
Ireland's decision to nationalize the nation's healthcare system was made for the country's "national unity of purpose," Harris said.
"We must of course have equality of treatment, patients with this virus will be treated for free, and they'll be treated as part of a single, national hospital service," said Harris.
The move was seen by observers as a sign of hope in a world battered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened hundreds of thousands around the globe and killed at least 22,184 people.
"How wonderful is this," tweeted journalist Beena Sarwar. "A beautiful silver lining."
Omar, in a tweet Wednesday, cited Ireland's move as evidence that the coronavirus outbreak requires thinking outside the box.
"Maybe it makes sense to think of bold solutions that save lives in times of national crisis," said the Minnesota Democrat.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.