Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputies Naughten and Fitzmaurice highlighted that yesterday. We are led to believe that further cancellations of elective surgery will take place at UCHG. Is it acceptable that 850 people will be told this week that their outpatient rheumatology appointments will be in December? Is it acceptable that in the case of rheumatology, a consultant has gone on maternity leave this week and will not be replaced until September, which demonstrates a complete lack of planning? Is it acceptable that the appointment of a new rheumatology consultant to Manorhamilton, which was promised by the Taoiseach in December, still has not taken place? Is it acceptable that a consultant attached to Beaumont, one of our key hospitals, would tell a patient, as happened this week, that he or she would be better off having urgent surgery at a private hospital because at Beaumont he or she would have to wait for 14 weeks? That patient was lucky enough to have health insurance, which allowed access to the private hospital. What is going on in our key hospitals and what is the Government doing about it?

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