Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will take the Ceann Comhairle back to my maiden speech when he was also in the Chair. My maiden speech related to UHL. What disappoints me is that it has taken four years for the Opposition to finally stand up and join me over UHL. It has taken four years for Opposition Deputies to stand up officially and talk about UHL. Because an election is coming, they are all jumping all over it. The Social Democrats mentioned UHL today but I have not heard its Deputies mention the hospital once since I came into the House. Sinn Féin is at it again today. For the four years since my maiden speech, I have asked for help but I have not been helped.

I am going to give the House a small history lesson on UHL. Jessica Sheedy was 18 years of age. She went into UHL on 8 May 2018 and died there on 11 May. Aoife Johnston went into UHL at 16 years of age and died there. That is the record of this Dáil with respect to fixing a problem in UHL. The only way the Government is going to fix UHL is to start at the top. I asked for the resignation of the CEO at the start. I do not believe that any medical person should be in charge of any hospital. A business person should be in charge with a board set up of medical staff. Why do I want the CEO to be a business person? I want that because business people are not conflicted and are not giving their jobs to their buddies who cannot do the job. They are not protecting their buddies when they do not do their jobs. If we put in a CEO from the private sector and who is accountable to the board of all medical staff, we can fire them if they do not get results. That has been the problem in UHL and all the other hospitals that have not performed properly. The person at the top cannot be fired. That is the problem. The Government wants to fix the problem; I am giving it the solution. It should put in a business person who is accountable to the people of Ireland and it should put in a medical staff that is accountable to the person who is in charge. If the board does not do its job, it should be held accountable by a person who is not conflicted by his or her connection to medical circles. That has been the problem. The CEO who was appointed in UHL was appointed by then Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. That was who she was appointed by. That person was also involved in the Galway scandal when a person died and paperwork went missing. No accountability has been the problem.

See this speech in context