Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The Minister and members of the Government, including the Taoiseach, maintain the Fitzgerald report makes the case for centres of excellence. Nobody in this House ever suggested there is not a compelling case for centres of excellence. Would the Minister accept this case is not made by Mr. Fitzgerald, who is not given to hyperbole? He makes the case for reform throughout the system. He says the opposite, that he does not want to blame the inaction of individuals in Portlaoise but the systemic problems of Government's management of communication. He was reporting on his examination not just of what went on in the hospital but at regional, national and departmental level, right into the Minister's office. The problem is systemic. If we respond with a protocol to deal only with critical incidents we deal merely with one aspect of the problem, whereas the problem is endemic throughout the system. What happened in Portlaoise is merely a microcosm of what is happening every day through the HSE and Department. If the Minister accepts that, what will she do about it? Does she accept she is the only person who can do something about it? The health system is vital to every person and she must do something about it. How many reports do we need to show there is something fundamentally flawed about the HSE?

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