Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

By God, we would have some laugh if we were to do so. The era of boom and bloom was brilliant, but even when things were good, Fianna Fáil refused the chalice that was the Department of Health. Deputy Micheál Martin could not wait to get out of the place. As Bertie Ahern could not get one of his own gang to become Minister, he appointed Mary Harney who lay prostrate before the sacrificial altar of Fianna Fáil and said, "I obey and will take responsibility for the Department of Health." Consider what happened to her. Brian Cowen referred to the Department as Angola. We now have a Minister who wanted the job and is prepared to make difficult decisions on reforming the HSE, but those to whom I refer are all saying he is not the right man, that he should not be there and that it is not his job to make decisions on projects. Deputy James Reilly is the Minister and the buck stops with him. People must get real.

The Minister has clearly indicated that the patient must be at the centre of everything we do in the health system. Fundamental change is coming, but it takes time to achieve. This is the beginning of another process of change initiated by the Government, the Minister and his Ministers of State, Deputies Kathleen Lynch and White. There are vested interests in every area of society. In the context of health, these vested interests must consider the bigger picture rather than seeing matters through the prism of their own perspective. Patients who require medical cards or need to access services or care or who need to have procedures carried out must be placed at the centre of all we say and do.

Deputy Billy Kelleher, as is his right, quoted a number of figures, but I wish to focus on what the Minister said. First, 3,500 adults were waiting for inpatient and day case surgery at the end of 2011, but within one year that number had been reduced to 89. In other words, the waiting list was cut by 98% in a single year. The Minister also indicated that 1,759 children had been waiting for over 20 weeks for inpatient or day case surgery at the end of 2011. Within one year the number of children on the waiting list had been reduced to 89, which represents a cut of 95% in a single year. The Minister further stated 4,590 patients had been waiting over 13 weeks for a routine endoscopy procedure at the end of 2011. Within one year the number on this waiting list had been reduced to 36, a cut of 99%. To borrow the Fianna Fáil slogan of old, it is a case of "A lot done, more to do". We are aware that everything is not perfect in the health service. However, people must consider the position from which we began and the mess we inherited.

The Members opposite are fair-minded individuals and will give credit to the Minister for the job he is doing and what he is trying to achieve. We do not have available to us the same amount of money that was available to our predecessors, but we are still spending €13.4 billion on health services. There are challenges to be addressed. Let us consider what happened in 2012. The Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, Deputy John McGuinness, will, I hope, agree with me that in the context of public service renewal, there has been a buy-in by staff in respect of how business is done in the health sector. It is a credit to health care professionals, nurses, doctors and those who work within the health care system that the numbers of admissions, day case and other procedures carried out and services provided have increased. This could not have happened without a buy-in and agreement on the part of staff who have demonstrated great flexibility. We must ensure such flexibility is spread across the health care system.

One of the biggest gripes we had during the 14 years when Fianna Fáil, the Progressive Democrats and the Green Party were in government was related to the lack of accountability within the health care system in the delivery of services. Deputy John Halligan is right, the regional health fora, on one of which the Acting Chairman, Deputy Michael McCarthy, and I, served, were the greatest waste of time in the history of democracy. These fora which were mere talking shops ensured people's democratic right to be represented was blunted. People from the health service were brought before the regional health fora to make presentations and answer questions. However, the fora had no powers. In addition, there was no accountability. Accountability is a must in the health care system.

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