Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

Before making a few points about the future of the Rowan ward at Cherry Orchard Hospital in Ballyfermot, as the Minister of State is probably aware, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre website there are approximately 7,000 reported cases of HIV in Ireland, including 331 new HIV diagnoses in 2010, comprising 240 males and 89 females. There were 134 new HIV diagnoses among the category of men who have sex with men. There were 123 new cases among the heterosexual category, 54 male and 69 female, in 2010. One of the saddest findings is that 136 babies were born with HIV in Ireland last year.

I give that information to set the context because many people might not know that the 18-bed Rowan Ward in Cherry Orchard Hospital in Ballyfermot is the only public HIV unit in the country, to the best of our knowledge. People travel from Cork, Galway, Donegal and elsewhere if they need to access treatment in that hospital. That in itself is wrong. We should not have only one public HIV respite unit in the country. We have begun to hear rumblings from the HSE - through the usual manner in which it gets word out that it is about to close a ward or that there are problems - that this ward could be closed.

This ward is a safety net for the thousands of people with HIV who need to come into the unit to get reassessed if they become ill, or to be properly fed and get proper rest. It is a very important ward. Many of the people to whom we talked believe the ward is a lifeline for them. If they did not have access to this ward, they would be in serious trouble. Many people who access the ward are homeless and need the services in Cherry Orchard Hospital. St. James's Hospital treats patients going through the chaotic and chronic stages of HIV but the ward in Cherry Orchard Hospital provides respite care and serves people who need to cope with readjustment and require support. It is a very sensible service. If it were not available, the patients who attend it would have to go directly to the main hospitals which, as we know, are already operating under huge pressure. The service provided in this ward is both socially and economically necessary. The nursing staff are brilliant; all the patients have great praise for the senior nursing staff. They do more than just run the ward well; they give of their own time.

Rumours abound that this ward will be closed. It is always impossible to get a straight answer from the HSE. The head of the HSE in the Dublin West constituency will not confirm or deny the rumours, yet on Monday, 12 September, the word was out that the staff were instructed not to allow any more admissions into the ward. That in itself amounts to nearly the closure of the ward and is an alarming development for those who want to access this service.

There are three men who have been in the ward for up to 14 years; the ward is their home at this stage. They are fearful of what will happen to them. When asked where they would go, they were told they would be probably moved into one of the elderly units that cater for elderly people with Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. This is not acceptable. What we want to hear today is a categorical announcement from the Minister of State that this ward will remain open. If there are problems with the ward because of its age, we want to hear that it will not be closed until an alternative, fit for purpose accommodation for HIV patients is found for these patients.

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