Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The day-case reductions are because of the National Treatment Purchase Fund and the intervention which is part of the supply and confidence arrangement. That is one part of policy that is working. Unfortunately, it was a policy the Government did not want to pursue, but it is there. It is proof that if there are imaginative ways, issues can be addressed. When one looks at the day-case waiting list, there is a reduction solely because of the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

The difficulties are in the emergency departments on a continual basis. The reason I raise this is we are now in September and if the trends continue, we will have significant problems in December, January and February - during the winter months. We know that but there is little being done to address these particular pressure points.

The Tánaiste can talk about the overall budget but I refer specifically to emergency departments, the acute hospitals and primary care. We now have a situation where the primary care services across the country simply cannot cope. The idea that one would get an appointment the same day with one's local GP is now a thing of the past. They are overwhelmed and under-resourced. If the Tánaiste could, she might just revisit the two issues of addressing the pressure points in the acute emergency departments and to try to come up with imaginative solutions to support primary care, primarily the GPs, so that they do not have to refer patients to hospitals as much as they are forced to at present due to lack of resources.

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