cheesypeas Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Why does it cost so much to run? How many divers with the bends are there? It's used for all sorts of treatments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxmaid2000 Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Is there any way to donate online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemonday Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 £11,500 needed or the unit will close at the end of September or early October. Fundraiser tomorrow (31/08/09). It is good to be able to contribute something to this BUT this should never have to be under threat and only capable of continued operating if we throw money into buckets...what a bunch of selfish economic plonkers we have sitting in Tynwald. They probably think a "priority" is an afternoon cuppa with some monks. Also how does all this this square with what Richard Butt wrote boasted about in August: Why was the hyperbaric chamber saved (at least in the medium run)? Because our newspapers ran a campaign to save it. It ensured the support of hundreds of readers, including Trevor Hemmings, the millionaire. He rang me about it to say that it was our coverage that persuaded him to help. Does not compute. How much is the trip to China to look at a boat costing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Is there any way to donate online? An online donation option certainly seems sensible ALMOST half of the £11,500 needed by the hyperbaric chamber to stay open this year has been donated by organisers of the World Tin Bath Championships. The Castletown Ale Drinkers' Society handed over a cheque for £5,000 to hyperbaric nurse Claire Duchars and the unit's medical advisor Dr David Chalmers on Thursday. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Tin-Baths-b...mber.5604500.jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 An online donation option certainly seems sensible I respect what you are saying but totally and absolutely disagree. As a taxpayer I would be delighted for this to be paid for out of my taxes, not for it to rely on kind peoples' donations. We are NOT short of money - it is just that our politicians and our public servants don't seem to be able to spend it in the ways that taxpayers want. Hope everyone remembers examples like this when the elections come round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I definitely agree this should be paid for from taxpayers money. Previous posts have established that this is a worthwhile facility. I particularly note the comment that it is ill advised to airlift people with the bends, but the hyperbaric chamber is also used for many other medical conditions. Until the government come to their senses however I would be willing to donate online to keep it open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Until the government come to their senses however I would be willing to donate online to keep it open. Queenie my concern is that if the politicians think that they can get important medical equipment running costs funded by public donation they will not feel any pressure whatsoever to redistribute their priorities. TBH I think it would be better to issue car window stickers using a voluntary maildrop with something like: "MHKs claim travel expenses but say we can't afford to run life saving equipment" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Yeah I suppose the whole shaming them into it only works if they have any shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Why does it cost so much to run? How many divers with the bends are there? It's used for all sorts of treatments. Uh-huh, but why has it suddenly this year beome short of cash? The whole "issue" started when Eddie said it might have to be cut from state funding, but so far as I am aware the state funding has not actually been cut. Why have costs spiralled so sharply? According to the people that run it, it is under-utilised because GPs "aren't aware of its benefits." It seems a little backwards that a facility that apparently isn't used enough suddenly has unsustainable costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I often wonder how much of this is simply politics... i.e. softening us up for more cuts. I mean, if 'we can't afford to fund the hyperbaric chamber' then things 'must be bad'. Trouble is the media and the public keep forgetting to go for the truth here, that is: in the meantime so much other money has and is being wasted. Memories are short, and instead they go for 'look what we've done', 'let's arrange coffee mornings' and 'all do our bit' - and then give themselves a big slap on the back - with even with the same politicians that cocked things up in the first place looking good in the pictures. This is where you need good investigative journalists to expose the waste and the hypocrisy - such as the shopiom site (as it seems at the moment for the £300K spent on it) and the petrol claims at public expense put in by MHKs. We need to look at, and expose, how these clowns are running the island into the ground with stupid and often unnecessary spending - whilst, in the case of the hyberbaric chamber, putting lives at risk. ...but things don't quite work like that in politics and the media here do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triskelion Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 What information is being kept hidden Albert? The problem with calls for investigative journalism is that people only credit it when it agrees with what they think, even though they themselves have not done any comparable research - something made clear by the thread on the topic on the iomtoday website. As is a matter of public record, those members of Tynwald that take a travelling allowance (covering things other than petrol) feel fully justified in doing so. After all, Mr Cannan has to come "all the way from Kirk Michael"... I certainly agree that vast sums are being wasted, especially at the DoT, including everything currently being spent at the Airport. However, these things aren't exactly a secret. I don't see that there are many details that have been hidden there - clearly the department has been spooked by dubious reports regarding future regulations and CoMin has decided "We must act!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 What information is being kept hidden Albert? The problem with calls for investigative journalism is that people only credit it when it agrees with what they think, even though they themselves have not done any comparable research - something made clear by the thread on the topic on the iomtoday website. As is a matter of public record, those members of Tynwald that take a travelling allowance (covering things other than petrol) feel fully justified in doing so. After all, Mr Cannan has to come "all the way from Kirk Michael"... I certainly agree that vast sums are being wasted, especially at the DoT, including everything currently being spent at the Airport. However, these things aren't exactly a secret. I don't see that there are many details that have been hidden there - clearly the department has been spooked by dubious reports regarding future regulations and CoMin has decided "We must act!" There are quite a few things that should be in the public domain that I know of myself. It's not just more or other stuff though, it's consistently exposing and analysing even what is in the public domain already for what it really is - and who is to blame - and seeking accountability. When was the last time a decent politician fell on his sword here, especially given some of the cock ups and waste? There just seems to be that general acceptance 'oh they've cocked up again, oh well'. People should be being held to account. That's all I'm saying, and all I will say on that - I'm not looking for a convoluted debate thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Well yes, I guess if we could all be bothered to write to our mhk with the enthusiasm that we write on this forum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmp Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Refering to the question on costs spiralling. The costs haven't spiralled, the funding given by the government for the past few years was never indexed, therefore as costs have naturally increased the funding hasn't in line with inflation. What is interesting is the following quote from the Government website. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry today opened a public consultation on proposals by the Department to undertake small scale trials of a new type of artificial reef close to Port Erin. It is hoped that the trials will allow the Department to evaluate the possibility of using redundant marine cables to create reef structures that will increase biodiversity and productivity in the area, and create a feature that will be of great interest to both anglers and divers. Phil Gawne, Minister for DAFF, said “The closed area off Port Erin has been closely monitored for nearly two decades, and we know that it already has a dense population of mature scallops that may well be reseeding Manx fishing grounds with scallop spat. Without risking this valuable conservation role, the Department hopes that this project will create a number of diverse new habitats in the area, that will support populations of fish, shellfish and other organisms that would not otherwise be found there. “The project will be carefully monitored by scientists from Southampton University, acknowledged as the European leaders in this field, and if adverse impacts are found the structures will be removed. However, I am confident that the structures planned will further add to the established attractions of Port Erin as a centre for marine tourism, enhancing the considerable conservation benefits that the existing closed area provides.” Let's waste more money by promoting an area of the Island for tourism especially for divers I can just see the advert with the small print below. Come to the Isle of Man where we have created a wonderful artificial reef for you divers to enjoy. Just don't get the Bends 'cause we are unable to fund your only life saving form of treatment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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