Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their attendance. I have some questions for Mr. Breslin and I ask him to leave time for the Chief Medical Officer for the last couple of answers. Who is responsible for managing positive tests and the negative tests? Deputy Naughten brought in information during the week about meat factories. We have had contact occurring with management in meat factories but not directly with the patients, to say that patients had tested positive. On the other hand, negative test results have taken more than two weeks to come back. There are significant issues which Mr. Breslin might address.

Some 45% of our population has private health insurance and is, at present, excluded from accessing general consultants' work and any opportunity to have treatment. Mr. Breslin said that a significant number of doctors have signed up to the type A contract. How many surgeons have signed up to the type A contract? It is my understanding that in private hospitals, where much elective work is done, that if there is no surgeon to do it, there is not much point in having the other consultants on board. Some €115 million is going out per month to secure the hospital contract. I see in data from 18 May that only 30% of beds in private hospitals are taken up. Many of these are long-stay patients from public hospitals who have been moved out. The National Treatment Purchase Fund's annual budget is between €30 million and €50 million per year, and we are spending €115 million.

I would like see that contract revised.

On University Hospital Waterford, UHW, I want to put something on the record which is not quite Covid-related but is as a fact of it. We had a diagnostic cardiac lab facility on site there since September 2017. This was moved off the premises in recent weeks, however, as the contract was not extended. We are now back to one cardiac cath lab in the south east for 500,000 people. We have a hospital with 160 beds-----