Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Will the Minister accept that it was an act of unforgivable Government negligence that we did not until recently have a national surveillance system? Will she agree that the absence of such a system meant that her Department, for many years and certainly throughout the 11 years she has been a Minister in the recent Administrations, had no overall perspective on the level of hospital acquired diseases? Will she also accept that what is now proposed is grossly inadequate and that what we need is a revolutionary approach to reduce radically the level of such infections? Does the Minister agree that from the general public's perspective, a reduction in MRSA infection of 30% over a five-year period is grossly inadequate? Of the 526 cases recorded in 2007, the vast majority should not have occurred. Will the Minister accept that large numbers of people are now terrified to go into hospital for fear that any medical assistance they receive may be overshadowed by the detrimental impact on their health of acquiring an infection?

My family and I are personally aware of the impact of this particular hospital acquired infection. Three years ago, my mother-in-law went into Tallaght Hospital for treatment of a medical condition. She acquired MRSA within weeks and never walked out again. Does the Minister not agree there is a complacency within her Department and the HSE, as evidenced by the minimal objectives that are sought to be achieved within the next five years, and that a radically different approach is required?

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