Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This does not mean the health service does not have problems or that it is not requesting additional funds. The scale of the challenge for the health service was acknowledged when, as part of the budget for next year, an extra €900 million was allocated to our health service. Performance reports indicate that waiting lists had reduced by the end of August. We are also developing a more responsive reporting structure for the HSE involving clinicians and consultants and we have a great deal of work done on the hospital groups. This means we now have reporting on hospitals on a regional basis. Furthermore, the Revised Estimate which is being published today provides an extra €20 million for mental health services. The provision of GP cards for children under six and for people over 70 has been warmly welcomed by parents and older people throughout the country. One of the biggest problems in our hospitals has been the issue of step-down facilities. Now, applications for the fair deal scheme are now being dealt with within a period of four weeks or less on average. These are significant achievements by our health services. We have also seen the development of more than 40 new primary care centres, where people can get a diagnosis and treatment for chronic illness without having to attend an acute hospital. They can also avail of ordinary GP services, after care services and other patient care services at these centres. Another 20 of these centres are in the process of construction. These facilities are changing the landscape of health care here. All of this is a tribute to those in the service, particularly to nurses, doctors and paramedical staff.

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