Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am talking about health standards. What is the point in paying insurance if one is treated like that in hospital? Does the Acting Chairman not get it? Is it not connected? Let us be fair. If one pays health insurance, one expects it to be foolproof. I am not saying it happens every day but one person dying is one too many. It is appalling that the man in question was sent home without having a lumbar puncture performed, particularly when he had a violent headache and had scans and it did not show up. Apparently, in 10% of cases it does not show up. He saw ten junior doctors and one consultant during those visits to Clonmel. That is appalling. It will cost the State a fortune in a pay-out. He lost his life and his partner lost him. She has four kids and is expecting another child. He was a young man in full health and just got a violent headache.

If there are protocols, they must be followed. They are followed in factories. There are protocols for everything. It is more vital to have protocols followed in hospitals than anywhere else. They clearly were not followed in this instance. As already stated, I heard the solicitor interviewed. It was broadcast on Tipp FM this morning after 9 o'clock. I am familiar with the case and that is why I listened in. I was not expecting it; it just came on. The family are seeking a judicial review because the solicitor was not allowed ask questions in the coroner's court. The medical personnel were not allowed to answer. They were debriefed before the inquest on what happened so they would not talk about it. They were debriefed and told it was over, finished and done with. This is very serious. Consultants at South Tipperary General Hospital, including Dr. Paud O'Regan and Dr. Peter Murchan, work very hard. My late brother was a paediatrician at the same facility in Clonmel. There are many good outcomes but also a lot of bad ones. It is appalling to lose a young man like that. It is ironic that I happened to hear the interview on Tipp FM this morning. Everyone in the region has been working on these packages to try to get issues sorted out in the hospital. We are working to get extra beds and extra capacity.

The most important thing is insurance. There is a widespread practice when people are on trolleys in hospitals. They are glad to have gotten there by ambulance or car, they are on trolleys and there is someone running after them saying, "Will you sign this please?" It is totally unfair and wrong. It is morally and financially wrong. One might be half comatose and in agony; they are delighted to be in the premises and this is happening. There are administration staff sending out bills. There is funding allocated to hospitals every year based on turnover and the money they bring in. There are a lot of things wrong with that and it needs to be sorted out.

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