Madam, - Martin Dodge (September 5th) is naïve in thinking that with-profit private hospitals will fail if they waste money, are less efficient and lead to higher patient mortality.
They will not fail financially because of the large tax benefits they receive and the high fees they charge for patient care and for their high-tech services. Nor will their mortality figures be available unless they are subject to proper audit systems.
There are other major problems associated with the American model of healthcare - ethical and economic ones, for example - which transcend the simplistic solution proposed by Mr Dodge. - Yours, etc,
RISTEÁRD MULCAHY, MD,
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(Professor emeritus),
The Palms,
Dublin 14.