Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Lip-service does not help to provide hip services or any other health service. I commenced in local politics in 1991 and became intimately involved in the old health boards. The changing of their name to HSE in 2004 has done little to recognise the demographic growth of our population. I have no doubt that services and outcomes for those who get into the health system have dramatically improved and should be acknowledged by me and all Members of this House. I compliment the various members of the staff of the health service on their great work.

In my lifetime of involvement with health boards, waiting lists have continued to grow and every service under successive governments has been trying to put a gallon into a pint cup. The health services are running to a standstill despite that huge growth in population, particularly in the past 30 years. The Taoiseach stated earlier today that if it was just a matter of funding, this issue would have been resolved by now because there has been an increase of over 20% in funding. Ireland has one of the highest levels of expenditure on health services of all OECD countries but it also has one of the poorest outcomes. The trolley figures, which Deputy Adams mentioned, were 29 today in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and were at an all-time high of 607 for the month of November. The latter was despite the fact that, as the Minister indicated, a 60-bed unit has been opened at the hospital. We expect the bed capacity review next week to say that 2,500 extra beds are required.

The Minister should dust down the proposals on the regional hospital for the north east in that respect. There is a 12 acre site at the Louth County Hospital that is ripe for development and could take much of the load and relieve the difficulties for the eastern region.

Finally, I refer to the good people who are not coming in to work in our health services. There is a serious need for the Minister to look into an incremental increase for those who stay for a given duration in the medical profession. That increment could be rewarded on an initial basis with an additional increment the longer one stays in the system. It is clear to me that we have a major issue. I do not want to go over all the other issues that have been raised in respect of better community services and all the rest of it. In accepting this motion on a cross-party basis tonight, we in this House should be making sure that we deliver to those who are waiting for us to stop paying lip service.

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