Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an rún rí-thábhachtach seo. Gabhaim comhghairdeas leo siúd ar fad atá lasmuigh. Chuala mé go bhfuil siad ag éisteacht leis an díospóireacht seo. Tá súil agam go n-éiroidh leis an rún, nó ar a laghad leis an bhfeachtas. Thaistil na daoine sin ó Ros Comáin chun agóid a dhéanamh i gcoinne an cinneadh atá déanta ag an Rialtas an aonad timpistí agus éigeandála san ospidéal sa bhaile sin a dhúnadh. Ní hiad amháin a bheidh síos leis má leanann an Rialtas seo ar an mbealach atá siad ag tabhairt faoi cheana féin.

The Government amendment to the Sinn Féin motion is a sick joke. The second paragraph refers to "the Government's approach to ensuring that all patients have access to timely, high quality emergency services". What is timely about adding hours to people's journey to hospital in emergency situations, as happens when emergency departments are closed, such as is happening in Roscommon? What is timely about sitting in accident and emergency for hours on end, as happens in most big hospitals in this city every day, particularly at weekends?

The Government amendment makes no reference to any of the specific hospitals mentioned in the Sinn Féin motion. This is no wonder as the pre-election commitments of both Fine Gael and the Labour Party in regard to these hospitals, such as Roscommon, Navan, Letterkenny, Portlaoise, Loughlinstown, Portiuncula, Limerick, Clonmel, Mallow, Bantry and others, have all now been exposed for what they were, namely, attempts to deceive the people and to buy votes.

Recently, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, stated that the Government would be accepting the Trolley Watch figures of the INMO rather than the doctored figures we have seen and still see from the HSE and the national treatment purchase fund. This is a welcome move, and it is about time it happened. The Minister should also take heed of the INMO statement of this week, which reads: "The INMO...reaffirms its absolute conviction that the current policy of the HSE and Government, to reduce services in some hospitals and to centralise them in major centres, is ill-timed, will not succeed and will simply result in further misery for patients requiring inpatient care in a hospital bed in a proper ward." The INMO statement was based on its six-month comparative study, just published, which shows the disgraceful level of accident department overcrowding taking place in 2011 as compared to the same period in years since 2006.

With regard to 2011, the survey confirms over 46,000 people were on trolleys, having been admitted to a hospital, in the first six months of this year. This marks a 20% increase on the same period in 2010 and a 37% increase since 2006, when it was declared "a national emergency". There has been a dramatic increase in overcrowding in hospitals in the north-east region, where other services have been curtailed and centralised into the already crowded two main centres. A significant deterioration is also happening in a number of other hospitals outside of Dublin and there has been a further deterioration in the greater Dublin area, which includes the major hospital in my constituency, St. James's Hospital, where numbers on trolleys and chairs in accident and emergency have risen continuously.

Little attention is being paid to the maternity hospitals. One of the largest is the Coombe hospital in my area, where there is the highest birth rate in the EU. Our maternity hospitals are struggling to cope, resulting in higher numbers of caesarean births but also in less time being spent in hospital by mothers who have given birth because they are literally being pushed out the door to make room for other expectant mothers.

I have spoken many times in the House about the situation in Crumlin children's hospital. The Government amendment refers to providing high quality diagnostic services. With regard to vital diagnostic services for children, what will the Government do about the 12 to 18 month waiting time for endoscopy for children at the only national centre, Crumlin children's hospital? All that is on the cards for that hospital this year is that it will have to curtail its services, close its operating theatre and restrict outpatient services because of a shortfall in funding, despite taking on extra patients and being more efficient and effective in the use of consultants, time and money. It is being punished, as it was in the past under the previous Government.

The Government has a choice, as do its Ministers and backbenchers. They should support the local and national hospitals, make a change and vote against the Government amendment.

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