Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last night, the Minister for Health outlined the improvements that have been made in respect of outpatient and inpatient hospital treatment. The HSE service plan which is the subject of this debate includes an ambitious programme of key health reforms.

No member of Fianna Fáil has served as Minister in the Department of Health for over a decade. They ran from that Department. The current Minister is a reforming Minister. He has compiled the first list in terms of outpatient appointments, in respect of which there has been a 95% reduction, for which the special delivery unit, the National Treatment Purchase Fund and staff in our hospitals are to be commended.

Deputy Kelleher will be interested to hear that no person in Cork is now waiting more than 12 months for an outpatient appointment. The figure in this regard last March in respect of Cork University Hospital was 5,000 and for Mercy University Hospital was almost 400. The figures today are zero. There are still more than 300 people waiting more than 12 months for an appointment at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. While some improvements have been made there are still 300 people waiting for an appointment.

There has also been a reduction of more than 90% in the number of people waiting between one and three years for an appointment. The reduction in respect of those waiting more than three years is over 80%. Inpatient waiting lists have also been reduced. There has been a 27% reduction across the inpatient waiting list at Cork University Hospital, with no one now waiting more than eight months. The number of people on the inpatient waiting lists at Mercy University Hospital and South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital for between three and 12 months has been significantly reduced and there is no one waiting more than 12 months.

The staff and management of the hospitals deserve our congratulations for their efforts and commitment. They have delivered on behalf of the people and the patients who require services. Their work is improving the situation for patients.

The Minister had six Bills passed by the Oireachtas in 2013, more than in any other calendar year since 1997. In 2013 the Minister also put through 57 statutory instruments. That represents one Bill every two months and more than one statutory instrument every week. Let us contrast that with Deputy Micheál Martin when he was Minister for Health. On average, he got three Bills passed per year, while Ms Mary Harney did somewhat better but still only passed three Bills per year on average. With this reform and change the Minister and the Health Service Executive service plan are delivering on behalf of the people.

I wish to address mental health. The Members opposite have a new spokesperson on mental health and I am sorry he is not in the House tonight. Anyway, some weeks ago he put out a tweet decrying the Government for spending more on photography than mental health strategy. I wish to put on record that the Government is spending €766 million plus €20 million on mental health each year, more than 2,800 times what Deputy Keaveney claimed in his tweet. I hope he will clarify and correct that tweet in the interests of the people, patients, families and service users who require the treatment and services of the Health Service Executive.

We live in extraordinary times. We do not have what Fianna Fáil had in the boom, a pot of money to throw at things. We have built reform and change. Key reforms are part of this Health Service Executive plan. Those who write about and comment on the Health Service Executive plan and those involved in debating it should examine the facts rather than discussing what they would like to see in the faraway hills.

We have difficulties, there is no doubt about it. We cannot expect a health service to continue as normal when there has been a 20% reduction in the health budget, a 10% reduction in staff numbers and an 8% increase in population. However, what the Government is doing is meeting the needs and putting in place a reform plan to best serve the people. I am confident that when the history of this Government is written, the Minister and the Ministers of State, Deputy Lynch and Deputy White, will be seen as transformative, reforming Ministers in respect of the delivery of health on behalf of our people.

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