Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I support this motion because it is a commitment to fair access to the health service on the basis of medical need. I do not believe this principle of equality is possible under the current two-tier system. What is required is a real change to a more egalitarian social health care insurance scheme along with free primary care. Under the existing unequal, two-tier system, there is no doubt but that people are dying on waiting lists because they are not being treated equally.

The case of Rosie, the cancer patient, is just the tip of the iceberg. Many public patients with serious health problems can only access treatment after their condition has deteriorated and is at an advanced stage where full recovery is more difficult to achieve. This is a scandal that cries out to be addressed.

Last year, a constituent began to lose her sight. Using her medical card, she attended her GP who advised her to see a specialist as quickly as possible. She was then informed there was a long waiting list and she might not be reached until the end of 2007. This alarmed her greatly as her eyesight was deteriorating rapidly. She contacted my office and I tried to assist her. As the lady in question was on a low income and had a medical card, she was obliged to wait irrespective of the urgency of her condition. She waited for a number of months to no avail before arranging to borrow money. She was then able to make an immediate appointment when she contacted the Mater Private Hospital. The consultant confirmed the seriousness of her condition and made arrangements for the necessary treatment with his team.

The moral of the story is that if one is on low pay and has a medical card, under the Government's two-tier health service one can go blind or worse while waiting for treatment, but if one has money, one can receive treatment immediately. This constitutes inequality Progressive Democrats style which can only be addressed by political change.

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