Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before I call our non-members, I wish to go back to an issue Deputy Kelly raised. We have a very serious problem in University Hospital Limerick. The problems facing hospitals in general are capacity, consultant numbers and diagnostics. One of the critical points in Limerick is the lack of a second MRI scanner. I know that Mr. Reid mentioned the HSE is considering whether to buy or lease a scanner, but the absolute urgency of a second MRI scanner in Limerick cannot be stated strongly enough. Many people in hospital are waiting unnecessarily for MRI scans to determine whether they are admitted or discharged or to make proper diagnoses so they can have proper management plans. I refer in particular to neurological conditions but also cancer. Unless Limerick is supplied with a second MRI scanner, the problems we see there every day, 70 or 80 people waiting on trolleys, will remain. Trolleys are just a manifestation of what is happening within the hospital itself. Casualty is not the problem; the problem is what is happening in the house of the hospital. There must be a second MRI scanner in Limerick immediately. What will the Minister do about this?