Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to air this matter. The shockwaves that were felt following the suspension of the delivery of breast services at Barringtons Hospital escaped many within the health service. A medical upset was caused, especially among women, when events unfolded there and Professor Drumm announced the HSE had no authority to investigate matters in Barringtons Hospital because it is a private hospital. The questions began to mount up and I cannot understand why there has been so little discussion of the matter.

It almost appears the issue is a reverse of the norm. Is it the situation that the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, judges public hospitals but, as yet, does not have the legislative power to extend its remit to private hospitals? We have the ridiculous situation whereby if one pays money, one does not know what standard one will get, but if one does not pay, one is sure of decent standards.

Perhaps I am taking things up wrong. A number of people have contacted me to say they subscribe to the VHI and attend the Mater Hospital or the Blackrock Clinic or wherever they are sent by their doctors. They have heard Professor Drumm state neither he nor any other worthy member of the HSE has the right to judge the standards of care, or to authenticate the care, given in private hospitals. We are all of the belief these are excellent places to attend. However, it appears to be the case that if one waits for months to be called to a public hospital, one at least will be guaranteed standards of care.

When will HIQA be empowered to apply the same standards to private hospitals as apply in public hospitals? Is it a matter of a licensing arrangement whereby a body or institution has to procure a licence from a particular entity before patients will be clear and sure of what is involved?

I do not blame the Minister. The HSE has become a massive monolith. It has the power to gobble us all up. We do not know where it is going, what it is doing or what it is all about. I fear it does not know itself what it is about.

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