Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)

I do not mean this as any reflection on the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, but it is regrettable and disappointing that neither the Minister for Health nor one of the two Ministers of State from the Department is here to respond to this matter.

The front page of our local newspaper in south Tipperary, The Nationalist, carries the heading "Trolley case at South Tipperary General Hospital". The treating of patients on trolleys in the corridors of the hospital has been an ongoing feature. There were 13 patients on trolleys on Monday last, 18 June, 20 on Tuesday, 16 on Wednesday, 12 on Thursday and 16 on Friday. Patients on trolleys is an ongoing feature of the delivery of health services at South Tipperary General Hospital as a significant number of beds in the hospital, some 31, have been closed due to Government cutbacks.

There is no better way of outlining the current position at South Tipperary General Hospital than to record what a patient at the hospital said in recent days. He stressed that hospital nursing staff, doctors and other staff were outstanding and gave excellent care but he was shocked by the number of patients on trolleys, particularly the number of elderly people, and was angered at the lack of privacy and dignity they had. He said there was little changing facilities for them and they had to use the hospital public toilets. He said that patients had to share screens and it was very difficult for doctors to speak to patients privately about their illness. He said patients found it very difficult to sleep on trolleys due to the general noise of the hospital around them and people passing though staff tried to keep the corridors where there were trolleys free of traffic as much as possible.

That is a totally unacceptable situation, particularly when there are 31 beds closed at the hospital. I appeal to the Minister to ensure that some of those beds are open to deal with this situation.

See this speech in context