Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

While I welcome the debate on health in the Dáil this week, we are only dealing with the symptom of a hopelessly out-of-date health service in this country. We are not getting to the root cause of our difficulties, which is that we do not have a proper service. There is a solution, which we have on this side of the House. Other parties also have the solution, namely, the introduction of a new type of service in this country, universal health insurance. This has been tested and tried in other jurisdictions not 500 or 1,000 miles from where we sit. Until we adopt the system, we will have a crisis in the health services in this country.

I wish to address a number of issues. I am pleased that more than one Minister is present. I refer to the transport of cancer patients from Donegal to Dublin. For the past 15 years we have used a system which is probably a Donegal solution to a Donegal problem. If cancer patients from west Donegal and the islands come by road to Dublin for radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment, it will take them up to six hours to get there. Fifteen years ago we came up with a new idea which was based on a tripartite agreement between Aer Arann, the Health Service Executive and the North West Cancer Group. The arrangement provided that anyone travelling to Dublin for cancer treatment would get a return fare from Aer Arann for €90. A total of €60 would be paid by the Health Service Executive and €30 by the patient. It was all organised by the North West Cancer Group. Now there are serious indications from the Health Service Executive that the subsidy of €60 will no longer be available due to the cutbacks.

Every year approximately 250 seriously ill patients from west Donegal and other parts of the county have availed of the service. They arrive in Dublin in 40 minutes and approximately a half hour later they are in the hospital where they are to receive treatment. Everyone knows that if one is getting chemotherapy or radium treatment for prostate or other cancer, one cannot get a train from Donegal. It is completely unacceptable for a cancer patient to have to undertake a bus journey for several hours and have to stop here and there. It would be a major setback for cancer patients in Donegal if the service is withdrawn. I appeal to the Minister to get in touch with the Health Service Executive and to ensure that this good solution to our problem is allowed to continue.

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