Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this debate. Shortly after Christmas, I was invited by a constituent to speak with her 82 year old father, who had been languishing for 48 hours on a trolley in University Hospital Galway, UHG. Deputy Nolan from Galway aptly and bravely described it as an unacceptable public service for the people of the west. The 82 year old had been sitting there because, having waited since 2013 for an outpatient appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon, he had developed symptoms as a result of the pain relief he had been managing for more than two years since reluctantly presenting at an accident and emergency unit. He was reluctant because he did not want to die in an accident and emergency unit.

He and his family were shook and felt betrayed because he had contributed to the State for 82 years. He left school as a child, paid his taxes and created employment but, in his hour of need, the State reneged on him. His family was quite disturbed by the surroundings, as described by Deputy Nolan. The service in the reference period was shocking. As I drove into Galway city, I was appalled to hear about the significant recovery that was taking place in the country - a tax profile that was €1.2 billion ahead of target - because people were subsidising it. That 82 year old man was subsidising it by having to wait two years just to find out that he had to wait a further two years for a procedure. This is his social contract.

The human cost of our accident and emergency units is just a symptom of a broader problem that has been described by all Deputies and one with which the Minister of State is familiar. I do not dispute that she has a handle on the problem. Significant harm is being done to vulnerable people, particularly senior citizens, who must present at accident and emergency units because of a collapse in aspects of primary care, for example, home help, a lack of beds and the fair deal scheme, an issue that was ignored in the House in November. There was bed capacity in Galway during the reference period, with 157 beds available for discharge. This capacity could have been used to alleviate the dire situation at UHG.

The voices of the elderly man and the accident and emergency unit's staff are not being heard. Clearly, this situation has not emerged from nowhere. We knew about it since September when we held a debate in the House and forecast that this would happen. The Minister of State probably sensed it herself: she has been a Deputy for long enough. I do not mean that disrespectfully. It is an annual debate. We did nothing to prevent this situation from arising. The task force only sat on 23 December and the actions agreed at that meeting were never implemented. Subsequently, the Minister went on holidays. He was entitled to do so. I will not reduce the debate to that issue.

See this speech in context