In Ireland we have a body called the HSE (Health Service Executive) that supposedly is there to manage the health sector and keep problems at bay. Straight away when you hear the word “Executive” you just know that no work is being done and with the state of our health system in Ireland you’d be forgiven for thinking such. Anyway over the weekend I saw an advert on prime time television reminding people that when dealing with health care professionals, they should always ask, as it is their right to do so, if they have washed their hands before attending to them. Fair enough, good point. However, this was not a 10 second clip with text and a voiceover, this was a multiple actor, professionally shot, long advert that must have cost an absolute fortune to make and put in a prime time slot. No prizes for guessing that the HSE put this ad into existence and no prizes for knowing that the logic of putting a 5 euro printed sign at the admittance hatch of A&E would undoubtedly target more hospital goers than this advert did. God knows how much money was wasted on this commercial, needlessly. That money would be far better spent dealing with the cleanliness and staffing issues of our hospitals. If this was an isolated incident then perhaps I wouldn’t be so harsh but it follows on from a string of things done by the HSE such as the heavyweight publication on proper parenting that was sent to households last year, again a total waste of tax payers money, in postage, printing and distribution costs. Actions speak louder than words and it’s about time that the HSE realised that the only thing the public wants to see them do is sort out the health service and not clog up our TVs and letterboxes with marketing fluff.