Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government commits to a health service for everyone. There were 51 people on trolleys last night in a centre of excellence in Galway city. I make no apologies for raising this issue. The Taoiseach visited Galway city and said at that time that the accident and emergency department is not fit for purpose, as did the leader of Fianna Fáil. I call on the Taoiseach to step outside the mantra of the rhetoric he is using in his replies and tell me that he cannot stand over 51 patients on trolleys in that centre of excellence and to also tell me that the Minister for Health will visit the hospital with a view to taking a hands on approach to a solution to this problem. What is the status of the promised accident and emergency department and the plans for a new hospital given that the statement by the clinical director of the hospital that the hospital is number one on the risk register?

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