Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Sunday, Dr. Fergal Hickey, an emergency consultant at Sligo University Hospital, stated that up to 350 patients are dying each year as a result of hospital overcrowding and that delays in securing intensive care beds for patients are increasing the risk of patient mortality. As winter approaches, the number of patients on emergency department trolleys is increasing once again. I do not have the figures for today but 450 patients waiting for beds yesterday. Once again, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda had one of the highest numbers.

This morning, cardiologists at the Mater hospital serving adult patients with congenital heart defects warned that the service was being stretched to a critical point. The two consultants working in the service stated that they were dealing with approximately 4,000 patients and had insufficient resources, staffing and laboratory access. One of the consultants, Professor Kevin Walsh, told "Morning Ireland" that the service's lack of resources was putting lives at risk. He stated that the service should have four full-time consultants and five full-time nurses. However, it has just two part-time consultants and two nurses. That is for almost 4,000 patients, with 400 accessing the service year on year. There is also a shortage of secretarial and administrative support. The Taoiseach will agree that this situation is shocking.

Last week, Ministers made grand claims about an increase in the budget for the health service.

The reality is these pronouncements were deceptive and grossly exaggerated. The bulk of the increase in funding is required simply to stand still. It will have little impact on waiting lists, the trolley crisis and inadequately resourced services. The Taoiseach knows that when the money required to cover pay restoration, estimated at €97 million, and demographics, estimated at approximately €119 million, is stripped away, the budget increase for health shrinks to just €147 million. I am sure the Taoiseach will acknowledge this as grossly insufficient. Sinn Féin's alternative budget proposed an additional €465 million investment in health over and above payments for demographics and the Lansdowne Road agreement. Our budget is fully costed.

Will the Taoiseach commit to going back to the drawing board to ensure services such as the acute cardiology unit in the Mater can be adequately resourced? Will he take on board what hospital consultants like Dr. Hickey and Professor Walsh are saying?

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