Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Despite all the election promises and Government spin, many people's experience of the health service is becoming worse by the day. Dismissing the board of the Health Service Executive without putting in place an alternative has prompted inquiries as to who is in charge of the health service. Many medical card holders, particularly those with chronic illnesses, are waiting far too long for renewals. This is unacceptable and unnecessary. The HSE service plans that have been published provide details in respect of hundreds of beds being closed in acute hospitals and, critically, in community nursing units throughout the country. Dr. Ronan O'Sullivan has articulated the fact that there has been a sharp increase in the number of children who are waiting on trolleys in paediatric hospitals. Dr. O'Sullivan has also stated that the situation is worse than ever and that bed closures are the cause of this overcrowding.

Since the National Treatment Purchase Fund was subsumed into the special delivery unit, SDU, waiting lists and waiting times have increased dramatically by over 47%. This means that 11,500 people are waiting more than six months for treatment. The increase to which I refer occurred over a very short period as a result of a policy change. Almost 45,000 people are awaiting day procedures at present and some 16,000 are awaiting inpatient surgery. The National Treatment Purchase Fund had reduced waiting times in the vast majority of cases to between three to six months. It had put in place clear targets and appropriate measures and had a dramatic impact on waiting times.

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