Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I wish to share time with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this urgent debate on cystic fibrosis and I welcome the Minister's presence in the Chamber at this late hour.

I call on the Minister for Health and Children, the HSE and the Government to move now on the cystic fibrosis unit at St. Vincent's Hospital. It is time to end the talk on stags and greyhounds and to get on with the real issues, such as cystic fibrosis and services for people with disabilities. If it is possible to deliver the new €3.6 million cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital by 26 July 2010, there is no reason not to be able to get under way the €20 million project at St. Vincent's Hospital and to have it built by 2011. It is criminal still to have cystic fibrosis patients in wards and accident and emergency units dealing with cross-infections, when they urgently need rooms with bathroom en suite. There should be no more talk or waffle. The unit should be built.

I focus on the urgent need for a 34-bed unit with en suite bathrooms for cystic fibrosis patients. In particular, I am frustrated about the delays and cock-ups associated with this project. I am not interested in any bureaucratic nonsense between the Minister, the HSE, the Department, hospital management and the developers. My agenda is action and delivery for the cystic fibrosis patients and their families. Tonight, I urge the Minister and the Government to get on with it and to do it now. I note the original cost for this new hospital section was estimated to be approximately €30 million to €34 million, while the estimated cost now has fallen to approximately €20 million. In other words, it will be developed for €12 million less than was originally planned. This is not to state that money should ever be an issue on this important matter but that in the current economic climate, the cystic fibrosis unit is value for money. It is good for the patients, their families, the hospital, its other patients and its staff but above all, it gives cystic fibrosis patients a better chance in their lives. There has been enough talk and old guff and it now is time to build the unit.

Another important issue in this debate concerns the urgent need to retain 34 bedrooms with bathrooms en suite for a proper cystic fibrosis unit at the hospital. This always was the plan and the vision. I have raised this matter in the House many times but have concerns that certain senior people within the HSE and the Department of Health and Children may have another agenda. Consequently, I urge caution on this matter and ask that they accept the principle of a 34-bed unit. I base this on the best international practice. Approximately 340 cystic fibrosis patients use St. Vincent's Hospital regularly of whom approximately 10%, or 34 patients, require a bed each day. This is the reason a 34-bed unit is needed at the hospital. This is about putting the patient first and trying to ensure a quality service in line with international best practice. The sad aspect of this project is that there has been too much talk and debate and not enough action. This is the reason I again urge movement soon in this regard.

It is not that people cannot do it. For example, Members should consider developments at Beaumont Hospital and the cystic fibrosis specialist centre for north Dublin. I commend Deputy Darragh O'Brien on his massive support while we fought for this centre in recent years. Beaumont Hospital will be the cystic fibrosis specialist centre for north Dublin adults and a referral point for patients with cystic fibrosis from throughout the north-eastern region. The Beaumont hospital cystic fibrosis multidisciplinary professional team will use the cystic fibrosis unit to provide long-term recurring support for ambulatory patients and their families and carers. The facility will be for the use of patients with cystic fibrosis and will have sufficient capacity, design features and specification to permit the implementation of best practices to minimise cross-infection. The project has been delivered with an allocation of €3.6 million. The cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital is due for completion in the week commencing 12 July and the hospital is working towards a "go-live" date during the week commencing 26 July. This is an example of a project that is up and running for families. I am glad to have been associated with it for years. It is great to see it being delivered for cystic fibrosis patients on the north side of Dublin.

As for St. Vincent's Hospital, I urge the Minister to seriously push this agenda, as the cystic fibrosis patients cannot wait any longer. I urge the Minister to get on with the job, to build the cystic fibrosis unit at St. Vincent's Hospital and to roll out the other services nationwide. Cystic fibrosis patients are sick and tired of waiting. I commend great people, such as Charlie Gallagher, Gerry McElvaney and Orla Tinsley, as well as the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, for their great work, perseverance and dignity. I again urge the Minister to act on this matter.

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