Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

When the Taoiseach or Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, are asked about deficiencies in the health service they cite statistics to show the amount of money supposedly being spent on health. Despite this expenditure, the two-tier health service is alive and well. For example, Mayo General Hospital holds ear, nose and throat clinics on two days each week. Those attending the morning clinics who try to arrange an appointment with a consultant must wait five to six years to be seen. A very urgent appointment takes two weeks, while those scheduled to see a consultant "soon" must wait for one and a half years. Deputies will get no marks for guessing that these waiting times apply to public patients, towards whom the Government has a duty of care.

Those who attend the afternoon clinic in the same hospital will sit in the same seats in the same outpatient department and be seen by the same consultant on the same couch. The only difference is that this group consists of private patients who must only wait a week for an appointment. This is not the consultants' fault as they are entitled under their contracts to see private patients in their own time. If a consultant wants to obtain a place in University College Hospital, Galway, for a public or private patient, even one with cancer, it will take approximately a month to secure a bed. Why is this the case? In the case of the latter group, it is due to a bed capacity problem in University College Hospital, Galway, whereas in the former case, it is because Mayo General Hospital does not have an ENT consultant. Patients in County Galway are not required to wait as long as patients in County Mayo. Moreover, there are too few ENT consultants in the region despite the large amount of money supposedly being spent.

Comhairle na nOspidéal, the expert State body which decides on the number of hospital consultants required, has indicated that the number of ENT consultants in the HSE west area should increase from three to six. Is the failure to appoint three additional consultants related to money? We learned almost five years ago that a fourth ENT consultant, a head and neck cancer specialist, was to be appointed in the region as a priority. The appointment has been a long time in the pipeline. However, as it is an academic post, the consultant will be based full time in Galway, with the result that the ENT clinics in Mayo General Hospital will be held on just one day each week. This will lead to public ENT patients in County Mayo being forced to wait for ten to 12 years for an appointment. That is disgraceful.

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