Dáil debates

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

2:40 pm

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Nelson Mandela once stated, “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” The World Health Organization's constitution enshrines “the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being.” These are not aspirational achievements but the basic fundamentals for a fair society and the bedrock of a true republic. However, this State has failed its citizens and has failed to uphold their rights. The chaos in our health service is a direct consequence of the bad policies of the former Fine Gael-Labour Party Government and of Fianna Fáil before it.

Last year, 92,998 people were treated on trolleys in hospitals. This was the highest number since 2006, representing an increase of 21% in hospital overcrowding. Over 490,500 patients are awaiting treatment or assessment in the public hospital system. Since 2008, there are 8,982 fewer front-line staff working in the health service. It is no wonder there is a crisis.

My constituency, Wicklow, has been served appallingly by successive Governments in the context of the provision of vital health services. What limited health services we did have were eroded by successive Governments. The Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government closed down Wicklow district hospital in 2010, along with 20 beds. It also closed the Orchard welfare home in Bray, which had 39 beds, as well as St. Bridget’s ward in St. Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, with the loss of a further 23 beds. The previous Fine Gael-Labour Party Government closed the 24-hour accident and emergency department at the hospital, which served my constituents well for many years and the staff of which did fantastic work. The move to impose the 21,000 patients who used that accident and emergency department on the already overwhelmed St. Vincent's University Hospital was bound to fail and, indeed, it did fail all our citizens. As we debate this issue, 21 patients are lying on trolleys in St. Vincent's hospital. Across the State, 420 people are lying on trolleys. The acting Minister’s failures do not stop there. When it comes to the hospital that serves my constituency, 15,306 people are on outpatient waiting lists at St. Vincent's, while nearly 900 patients have been waiting for treatment for over a year. The Minister stated it was his goal to ensure that by the end of the 2015 no patient would be waiting longer than 15 months for treatment. It is now clear he has failed to deliver on that aim.

The true extent of the health crisis does not stop there. Last week, it was reported St. Vincent's University Hospital will stop accepting new patients with malignant melanomas for four months because it does not have enough consultants. Melanoma is the third most common cancer found in the 15 to 44 age bracket. Each year in this State, more than 700 new cases are diagnosed and, unfortunately, there are 100 melanoma-related deaths. As is the case with all cancers, early diagnosis is key to treatment. For patients to be turned away from any hospital for four months is totally unacceptable. Ultimately, this is a matter for which the Minister bears responsibility. He needs to take responsibility and ensure that the recruitment of a permanent consultant can take place immediately in order that patients can receive the necessary diagnoses and treatment.

We in Sinn Féin have argued that the only genuine way of solving the health crisis is to stop undermining the public health system and start investing in and properly resourcing our hospitals. In our alternative budget for 2016, we outlined how an investment of €383 million would begin to make serious inroads into tackling the crisis. This investment would provide 500 additional nurses, 250 midwives and 250 consultants, thereby helping to alleviate the strain on the delivery of front-line services. In the recent election, Fine Gael’s priority was to cut taxes. We all know that when Fine Gael cuts taxes, it prioritises the mega rich above those on low and average incomes. Unfortunately, Fine Gael’s type of nation is one judged by how it treats its highest citizens but not its lowest.

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