Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss the following matter of national importance, namely, the escalating crisis in our public health and personal social services with continuing cutbacks adversely affecting patient care across the State including the disgraceful cutting of home help hours for older people, the removal of services from local hospitals, the undermining of public confidence in cancer services, the unpreparedness and inadequacy of the general medical services scheme to cope with the growing number of unemployed people and their families now entitled to the medical card and the gross inequality in the health care system because of Government policy which results in people on lower incomes suffering a far higher rate of chronic illnesses than the rest of the population as highlighted by the report of the Institute of Public Health published in August 2008.

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