Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I support the Minister and the work he has done in the past year. He has the great task of trying to reform the health service. Despite billions of euro having been thrown at it in the past 14 years, despite the vested interests not being tackled and despite the erratic nature of services, the Minister is now taking on those vested interests and ensuring equal access to the health service. I have no doubt this will deliver a health service of which we can all be proud.

I come from the constituency of Roscommon-South Leitrim. At the mere mention of the health service in Roscommon, everyone's ears prick up. I was in Roscommon hospital yesterday. The urgent care centre there is going well and, under Mr. Bill Maher and his management team, the hospital has a very bright future. Endoscopy services will be provided there and, hopefully, there will be palliative care and rehabilitation services. I believe twice as many procedures will be carried out in that hospital as were carried out two years ago. I am certain it will be the best small hospital in the country.

People wonder why this happened. A little more than eight months ago, the surgeons and the management team in the hospital clearly stated their accident and emergency unit was unsafe. This unit had a sign outside the door which read "A&E" but it was not the accident and emergency service I would expect in Sligo, Galway or Castlebar. It had no cardiac surgeon, no paediatric surgeon and no anaesthetic cover overnight. Yet, people called it accident and emergency. It was an accident and emergency unit for a local area but it was not what we expect of an accident and emergency unit in the modern age.

We have heard a great deal of nonsense. I can understand that people are fearful. However, many politicians from all sides and many leaders played on the fears of the patients. I have no doubt that under the Minister, Deputy Reilly, patient care in Roscommon and in such areas throughout the country will be much safer. I have watched seven paramedics going out, saving lives on the roads and in houses, resuscitating people and bringing them to a real accident and emergency unit. We do not, however, hear about that. We do not hear of the number of lives that have been saved. We hear only from the people that go to their local radio stations or newspapers and put the fear of God into others. A week later, by the time the information is corrected, the story is over. I have seen press releases stating that the Roscommon home will close, that the Roscommon urgent care centre will close, that people will die and lives will be lost. At the end of the day, the truth will always come out. The truth is that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and Fine Gael and Labour will deliver a fair health system.

One newspaper in my area has for the past 30 weeks run articles on "our hospital crisis". How could anyone expect that to be balanced reporting? How can we expect the people to get a fair sense of what is going on? I am a politician from that area. I cannot go out at night to have a drink in any of the towns or villages in County Roscommon because of the nonsense that has gone on. If I had to stand up again and make the decision I had to make nine months ago, I would do exactly the same thing, because it was the right decision for Roscommon hospital, for patient care and for the country.

The Minister, Deputy Reilly, Fine Gael and Labour should keep doing what they are doing because I have no doubt they can take on the vested interests and provide the best health care system with equal status for everybody. I have no doubt we will achieve that. Furthermore, if someone wants to say something negative about the health service, they should first look at what is positive about it. In Roscommon, we need to work together to ensure we have the best small hospital for the future.

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