Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

Why are Fianna Fáil Deputies elected by these constituencies allowing this to happen? Why do those Deputies constantly move to blame it on the HSE? Are we to believe that Professor Drumm, by virtue of his management of the HSE, is the de facto Minister for Health and Children? Is there no voice on the Government backbenches from the Munster region served by the hospitals at Mallow, Ennis and Nenagh that will call a halt to what the HSE is trying to do? If we proceed with the degradation of services at these hospitals there is no way that hospitals such as Cork University and Limerick Regional will be able to deal with the capacity. That will have untold consequences.

The hospital in Mallow serves over 100,000 people in four counties. I speak to the staff in Cork University hospital and if one visits it on any given day, one will see that the accident and emergency unit cannot cope with the numbers coming through. Why would the Government seek to further diminish services to the satellite hospitals?

We support the motion and believe that if the Government backbenchers who represent constituencies served by the hospitals at Ennis, Nenagh and Mallow have any backbone they will support such motions because in that way they will support the people.

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