Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

I commend my party colleague, Deputy Kelleher, for bringing forward this motion on the issue of health, one of the most important issues we could discuss in the Dáil and the first priority in terms of protection at this difficult time. Whatever one might have to go without, one cannot go without a health service.

A little over a year ago, I was a member of Donegal County Council and the Minister for Health was standing roughly where I am standing now. Listening to him from that distance I could have believed he would do the devil and all for the health service. He was a swashbuckling spokesperson who was going to reform the health service and deal with all its ills. It seemed as if, were it not for his colleagues holding him back, he would have been immediately across the Chamber to act. He has not needed too many people holding him back in the past year because we have seen very little of the action he consistently talked about from this side of the House since he took responsibility for the Department of Health.

The Minister who promised he would bring health insurance to everyone in the country is now overseeing 5,000 people per month ceasing to pay for private health insurance and losing their cover. After one year in Government, 60,000 more people are without health insurance and dependent on the public health service, from which the Minister is draining funds. Why are these people having to give up private health insurance? It is largely because of the policies of the Minister himself. At the beginning of January, the Minister increased the levy on health insurers by 40%. He assured us the increase would be absorbed by health insurers and would not lead to an increase in premiums. However, the Voluntary Health Insurance Board, which the measure was most designed to assist, subsequently increased premiums by up to 12.5% for older people, the very people the levy was supposed to protect. This is what we have seen from the Minister so far.

The Minister promised to reform the Health Service Executive. One day, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the board of the HSE. We have not seen much since then. In the HSE annual service plan, which was introduced in the middle of January, some €750 million has been taken out of the health budget. This means fewer treatments, which hits the most vulnerable, and longer waiting times, leaving people to wait longer in pain.

When the health service plan was delivered to the Minister he sent it back to the HSE. As one media commentator said at the time, this was like writing a note to oneself to complain about oneself. At least the Minister was in tune with people across the country, because many people were critical of what the report contained. It was the end of January before the HSE service plan for the country was approved.

Now, in the middle of February, the regional health service plans for this year are coming forward. In these there are further cuts. The service plan for HSE West, which was published last Friday, promises cuts across a range of services. In County Donegal, the Minister has decided to close Lifford Community Hospital, although he and his party gave assurances during the general election campaign that this would not happen. This is consistent with his policy in other areas, the decision regarding the emergency department at Roscommon General Hospital being the most famous case.

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