Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

I commend Deputy Reilly on tabling this motion on behalf of Fine Gael. Our motion this evening is about putting the patient first. That can only be achieved by protecting front line staff and services. I object in the strongest possible terms to the notion put forward last night by the Minister, Deputy Mary Harney, that the reconfiguration of services in the mid-west area is an example for the rest of the country to follow. The view that it is all plain sailing, that reconfiguration is the promised land of an ideal health care service is totally wide of the mark. The reality is quite different; in fact, it is fundamentally different. Limerick Regional Hospital simply cannot cope with the demands placed upon it. Less than a month ago, on Tuesday, 14 September, 46 patients were on trolleys in our so-called centre of excellence, 23 were in the emergency department, 14 were in a transit lounge and nine were on the hospital corridor. On Tuesday of this week, 33 patients were on trolleys while on Monday the number was 30. These are real people with real lives and loved ones, whose interests and care have been cast aside by the Government. The lack of strategic planning and the agenda of "cut the service and replace it with nothing", otherwise known as centralisation, have created this crisis. I ask the Minister, Deputy Harney, to take a quick step into the real world, forget about the spin and press statements and sort out the crisis at Limerick Regional Hospital.

I also want to put on record my anger at the announcement that the €40 million redevelopment of Ennis General Hospital will no longer proceed. This is outrageous considering there were pledges to the people of County Clare from the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, down that this development would proceed. It never materialised. The county has now lost its acute services as a result of the failed policy and broken promises of Fianna Fáil. The policy of "cut, cut, cut" must stop. I urge all Deputies in the House to support the motion.

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