Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Health has outlined his initial priorities for the first 100 days. These include reactivation of the National Treatment Purchase Fund with a more targeted implementation; the examination of whether minor injuries units and clinics can have their opening hours extended; to establish an all-party Oireachtas committee to develop a long-term vision for health care, for which I understand he has been given approval by the parties; to establish a youth mental health commission, which will link with the action in the Civil Service renewal programme; launch a review of A Vision for Change; publish a national obesity strategy; restore the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill to the Order Paper; finalise the cancer strategy paper; look at the question of starting the planning for a cystic fibrosis unit in Beaumont; progress emergency departments in Galway and in Beaumont; and look at other issues like cardiac care in Waterford and so on.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has now increased by €500 million the allocation to health. This is €800 million more than just over a year ago. Deputy Micheál Martin has raised this on many occasions. It represents an increase of 6% in spending. I wish to make it clear that it is not possible for any Minister to continue to go to that well as if nothing ever happened, so those people who are in charge of management of hospitals and who have budgets to manage had better understand that we cannot have a situation arising when there are no further Supplementary Estimates available to meet them. There has to be effectiveness in terms of the way taxpayers' money is being spent.

These are all very important cases, but everywhere I go, I hear the same story - that one can manage the impact of the moneys being allocated to a much greater extent in the interests of the patient. I hope that the allocation given last week of €500 million extra for the health area will, in the words of the HSE, stabilise this position and will allow for the very best level of treatment to be given to patients. I have to say that the vast majority of people that I meet, once they go through the health system, have nothing but words of commendation and praise for those who work in the service. It is always the blockages in the accident and emergency units or the waiting lists that cause all of the difficulties, and there are ways of dealing with these. I hope that in a situation where the Minister for Health is now speaking to each of the managers in the hospitals, particularly the acute hospitals, there will be an understanding here of getting the best effect in the interests of the patient for the moneys that have been allocated.

We do need to look at the reforms that are necessary in the health area in general, of which there are many. I hope that with the approval of parties in the House, we can focus on a ten-year strategy and a vision for the health service. Where do we want Ireland to be in terms of its health service in 2026? Issues to be addressed include a growing population, an aging population, more home care packages, more primary care centres and more community-based facilities for people who should not have to go to hospital in the first place.

There are so many things that need to be worked on here. I have allocated, with the approval of Government, four Ministers of State to the Minister for Health dealing with specific areas like mental health, obesity, the national drugs strategy and another issue - it escapes me at the moment - so that, in the interests of dealing with what is an enormous challenge for the country, I hope that we can get best effect out of what is now a budget in excess of €14 billion.

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