3 minute read
PETER McVERRY SJ
REALITY CHECK
PETER McVERRY SJ
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WE NEED TO BE ANGRY
ANGER AT UNJUST SITUATIONS SHOULD DRIVE US TO WORK FOR CHANGE
We are often told that it is bad to be angry, as anger can often explode destructively. But righteous anger is actually a very positive emotion, provided we know how to channel it. Anger and love go together – you cannot love someone who is suffering unnecessarily, without being angry at what is causing that suffering.
Among the many things in Irish society that I am angry about:
Children with mental health
issues: 2,600 children were on the waiting list for mental health services, with over 280 waiting over a year, according to the HSE Performance Report for JanuaryMarch 2021. The mental health of those who do not receive early intervention may deteriorate and require more expert – and expensive – treatment later on. The pandemic has led to an increase in children with acute mental health problems, including eating disorders and self-harm. Some are forced to present to hospital emergency departments to access urgent mental health care. Long waiting times also affect the children’s social health and education, as they may not be able to play with their peers and may miss much of their schooling. The failure to restore the pay of newly appointed consultants, which was reduced during the recession, has led to a severe difficulty in recruiting new consultants and retaining existing ones.
Children with spina bifida and
scoliosis: The 2017 Action Plan for Scoliosis set out to ensure that no one would be waiting more than four months for surgery by the end of 2017. The mother of an 11-year-old girl, who has been waiting over 18 months for surgery, says her daughter is in agony as a result of her condition and is getting worse by the day. She is unable to tell her daughter when she might be operated on. Another 10-year-old boy has been waiting over four years for
surgery. After he featured on a RTÉ programme, surgery suddenly became available for him!
The Spina Bifida Paediatric Advocacy Group said that 56 children have been waiting between one and four years for vital orthopaedic surgery to correct the birth defect that can cause paralysis of the legs and is often accompanied by hydrocephalus, or water on the brain. Some of these children may become inoperable due to the passage of time and may be confined to a wheelchair for life. In 2017, the Ombudsman for Children recognised the lack of access to scoliosis care as a children’s rights issue.
Drug addiction: Tens of thousands of families are torn apart by drug addiction. Many of those who are addicted are using drugs to cope with traumas which have never been addressed. But the whole family suffers. If the drug user owes money to a drug dealer, they will come looking for it and threaten the parents or other family members to pay up or be
beaten up or have their house smashed up. One parent had their car burnt out in their driveway and subsequently sold their home, as they were threatened that it would be burnt down during the night. The whole of Irish society is affected as thousands of crimes are committed each year to pay for drugs. Over 70 per cent of those in prison have an addiction. Drug services have never been a priority for governments. Long waiting lists for treatment are the norm; in many parts of the country, there are no treatment services at all. Whole communities – especially deprived communities – pay the price.
Ireland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why should children be waiting years for urgent treatment, why should people die from drugs for lack of services, why should homeless people be found dead in alleyways? What is the point of economic growth if it is not to ensure that the needs of all, particularly the most vulnerable, are met?
We, Christians, should be angry. This world is not the way God intended it to be, with people going to bed hungry every night, refugees having to flee wars or violence, people living on the street and children’s lives damaged by lack of services. Our anger should drive us to want to change the world to be more like God wants it to be.
