Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, 39 patients were lying on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in my home town of Drogheda. This was the highest figure throughout the State bar none. In recent years, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital has consistently been one of the worst hospitals for overcrowding, with patients forced to lie on trolleys in packed corridors. The cause of this is the removal of the accident and emergency department in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk. That day marked the start of the trolley crisis in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. People in Dundalk must now drive past their local hospital and travel on to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where, if they are lucky, they will face a minimum of eight hours waiting in an overcrowded accident and emergency department.

Another contributory factor to the crisis was the removal of respite and long-stay beds from the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda in 2012. This was flagged up by the cottage hospital action group but the Government refused to listen. Instead it bulldozed ahead with a deliberate policy of downgrading our public health system, while ignoring the misery, distress and pressure this put on patients, their families and front-line staff alike.

This election has shown that despite the Government's arrogant approach to cuts in vital public services such as health, the people have made it clear they want to see more investment in our public health services. They also want to see better management in such services and above all they want better patient care. The public does not want to see a continuation of the monster two-tier health system the Government created. I hope this time the Government will listen.

In Drogheda tonight, SOSAD, a voluntary health service that provides vital intervention for those who find themselves in crisis, has to hold a public meeting because it is on the brink of closure due to lack of funding. SOSAD's presence in Drogheda and Dundalk is invaluable. These are the services that require funding. SOSAD is saving lives by engaging with approximately 500 people every week. Last weekend, we learned that money which we were told was ring-fenced to provide mental health services has not been ring-fenced at all. That is because €12 million has been taken out of the paltry sum of €35 million which the Government committed for mental health service provision this year.

In 2015, we had 554 deaths by suicide. At what stage will the Government stop looking the other way? This is bigger than party politics. It is clear, however, that thus far a broader ideological approach has been taken which views our public health service as a vital private commodity. That is why the Government has pursued policies that have deliberately run our public health system into the ground.

2 o’clock

Perhaps some of their cronies are waiting in the wings rubbing their hands at the thought of another public service being outsourced and privatised - well, no more, and not on our watch. What the people want, as they expressed clearly in February 2016, is a properly funded public health service with better management and patient care for every citizen across the State from the cradle to the grave. Regardless of its composition, every Government has a moral and social responsibility to maintain, fund and invest in a public health service for every citizen.

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