Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The motion before us exemplifies what is worst about Private Members' motions in this Chamber. One side is saying what they have done and aspire to do while the other says we have not done enough and they did better when in government. I grew up in a medical household where my mother was a nurse and my father was a doctor. They would often say they were not expert enough to solve the medical problems that exist in society, although they had ideas about it. The real essence of it exists within the HSE, including hospital managers and consultants. I would not condemn anybody for commissioning reports but there are enough reports to choke a herd of donkeys.

The sentiment from all sides is appropriate. We are trying to improve the health service and give our view of what is going on in our localities. It is particularly relevant for me at the moment as Kerry General Hospital had a report issued yesterday concerning infectious threats. It was a HIQA report dated 8 July. The Minister of State has heard me speak about the need to safeguard Kerry General Hospital, but we need a capital infrastructure plan for our hospitals. We hear about plans to upgrade facilities that are more than 100 years old, which is ridiculous in a modern society. We will have an increasing number of health problems so we need to invest more money in the health service, but we also need to start looking after our own health a bit more as well.

In the event that 30 year old hospitals have had no capital infrastructure and there is a threat of diseases, as highlighted by HIQA reports, it is imperative for the Minister of State to look at the likes of Kerry General Hospital.

That hospital serves not only Kerry but west Cork and west Limerick as well. We need to copperfasten the integrity of such hospitals. They do not lose VHI patients to other private hospitals or lose public sector patients. They do not lose surgeons who want to come to places to develop their skills. The sentiment is right. It is about trying to find funds and ensure the goodwill is implemented by experts.

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