Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me and Deputies Breen and Dooley the opportunity to raise this important issue.

As late as last May at a Western Regional Health Forum meeting, the HSE stated that there was to be no change to the services currently offered at Ennis General Hospital. The re-organisation of acute services in the mid-west came about as a result of both the Teamwork and the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, reports into the breast cancer misdiagnoses of the late Ms Ann Moriarty and the late Ms Edel Kelly. At the launch of the HIQA report, Dr. Alan McKinney, a member of the HIQA Ennis investigation team, stated: "Before transferring a hospital service, it must be ensured there is a safer, better alternative available. There is no point making things worse than they are now". However, hospital services are being closed on the cheap without adequate resources being provided in the major centres or so-called centres of excellence, in this case in Limerick. This questionable practice presents us with the dangerous scenario of ultimately ending up with nothing at both county and regional level and endangering the patient, according to Dr. McKinney's hypothesis.

What has the Minister done about the major capital works outlined in the Teamwork report with regard to Limerick Regional Hospital? She has done very little. Why are there regularly up to 50 patients on trolleys in Limerick Regional Hospital? Why must patients wait for months for MRI scans in that hospital? Where is the better cardiac service for Limerick? Is there a 24-hour emergence cath lab service in Limerick Regional Hospital? There is not. Why strip the service in County Clare and replace it with nothing?

Prior to accident and emergency services reconfiguration in April 2009, I vividly recall the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE ploughing ahead with their strategy without even putting in place a proper ambulance service for the people of County Clare. They were happy to pursue this course until Dr. Paul Burke appeared on a "Prime Time Investigates" programme and outlined the reality. That is the level of commitment displayed to date - try to do things on the cheap, unless one is questioned.

The reconfiguration process has been ongoing for more than 18 months. It is time to have an independent evaluation of the process.

I am asking that HIQA officials be called in to evaluate where we are on reconfiguration. Has the Government delivered on patient care? I do not think it has. It has delivered on saving money, but it has not delivered on the patients.

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