Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me and Deputy Ó Caoláin to raise this important issue.

The outbreak of C. difficile at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda did not come as any surprise to many of the patients and families attending that hospital. While we all appreciate the extraordinary workload that has been forced on the hospital in recent years, there were constant complaints to me - and, I am sure, to many others - about the problem of overcrowding and lack of cleanliness.

Clearly, what has happened in the north east has been the result of total mismanagement of resources. A total of €17 million was spent on the Monaghan General Hospital restructuring programme and the only way it should have been wound down was with the building of a new central hospital in Ardee. In fact, the Teamwork report, bad as it was, made it clear that only when proper structures were in place should the existing structures be removed. It is totally unacceptable for a patient to go in with a fractured bone and come out dead a short time later.

This is not a problem only at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; there is serious overcrowding at Cavan General Hospital as well. In the old days the matrons got their priorities right and made sure administration was at a minimum and that front line staff, nurses, trainee nurses and attendants were all in place and doing their job. I was recently told by the father of a young girl about their experience in Cavan General Hospital. She arrived at 11.45 a.m. in dreadful agony with suspected appendicitis, but she was eventually seen at approximately 6 p.m. The waiting area was full of trolleys. The girl's father was told she would be kept in that night and operated on first thing the next morning. However, the operation did not take place until 7 o'clock the following evening and she was sent home at 11 a.m. the following day. This is a personal story, just one of many of which I have been advised regarding both acute hospitals. Having said that, those who get through the system have nothing but praise for the attention and care they received.

When swine flu was deemed an epidemic I urged both Professor Drumm and the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, to ensure that the 55 beds in Monaghan were left in place as a backup, at least for the time being, but of course this was ignored. Tonight I would like to receive some indication from the Minister about whether there are any plans to ensure people can get to hospital if required without having to leave the area, which would minimise family access.

I said in the House on a previous occasion that the way the health service was being run by the Minister was in fact euthanasia by the back door. I hoped at that stage that a warning would be sufficient, but unfortunately it was not heeded.

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