Jim McDaid (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

The main part of the motion seems to revolve around waiting lists. As long as medical research continues around the world, there will be waiting lists as international medical practitioners attempt and succeed in medical and surgical procedures only dreamt of previously. One of the greatest breakthroughs happened over 50 years ago in South Africa with the first heart transplant. If that procedure was carried out today in the same manner, it would be regarded as quite cumbersome. Even in this country we are performing liver transplants, heart transplants, lung transplants and heart and lung transplants, procedures we only dreamed of performing ten years ago. These procedures have become a way of life but, unfortunately, as I speak people are awaiting transplants.

That is why I look forward to the advent of stem cells because the future of medicine lies in the pursuit of research in this area. I hope we debate this subject in the House soon. Waiting lists will only become extinct the day that medical research stops. In too many cases, however, waiting lists are unacceptable. The high-tech issues I mentioned earlier are directly related. If we are to proceed in this area, space must be created. Given the huge steps taken over recent decades, the waiting lists are more a sign of our progress than of our deficiencies.

I fully accept that the co-location of hospitals is essential. The National Treatment Purchase Fund is the only available comparator and initially I wondered how it would work. The fund, however, has dealt with 171 of my patients. If one asked any of them did they mind whether they were treated in a private or public hospital they would say no. The pain they had suffered for years was gone and they now had a better quality of life. The ultimate aim of us all, especially those working in the health service, is surely to expedite the journey of the patient through the system so that he or she can have quality of life again.

The co-location policy must answer two questions: will it provide more beds more quickly than any other method and will it represent value for money? During its election campaign, the Fine Gael Party promised 2,500 beds for which the money was available through the national development plan.

See this speech in context