Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today marks the first anniversary of the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, assuming responsibility for leading the Government. Like previous Governments before it, its record on health has been absolutely abysmal. Nowhere is this more evident than in the context of hospital waiting lists. Since the Government came to office, hardly a month passes without the number of people on waiting lists increasing. The figures have risen every month since last autumn, with the exception of a small reduction in February. The figures released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, this morning are totally shocking. The figures for May are up 6,200 on the previous month and the overall number has increased by more than 20,000 patients for the year. This brings the total number of people on waiting lists in the State to more than 707,000. That is the highest number ever recorded in the history of the State.

When he came to office, the Taoiseach said he would be taking a special interest in the issue of health. That special interest has amounted to overseeing an increase in hospital waiting lists to record highs. Such failure has not been confined to the issue of hospital waiting lists alone. Since Deputy Varadkar became Taoiseach, more than 106,000 patients have spent time on hospital trolleys. He has presided over a recruitment and retention crisis in our hospitals and, as we heard again this week, there is chronic underinvestment in our mental health services. There has been a significant increase in those over the age of 75 who have spent 24 hours or more in accident and emergency wards. If this is the Taoiseach taking a special interest in health, I am loath to think what it would be like if he did not take that interest.

I do not want to absolve the Government's partner, Fianna Fáil, from its role in all of this. When it cobbled together its deal to put the Government in office in 2016, Fianna Fáil stated that it would ensure that a plan was put in place to tackle waiting lists. Look at the situation now. We have record levels, with 707,000 patients on hospital waiting lists.

The problem can be addressed but it is a matter of priorities and choice, and of making the right choices. It can be done by removing private health care from public hospitals and ensuring proper oversight of private practice limits, by stopping State funds going into private interests through the NTPF, and by ensuring there is adequate public investment in funding of public hospitals so they do not have to raise their own funds. All of this can help to bring down waiting lists.

It is long past time that the Government got serious about tackling this issue. It might be late in the day and one year on, but it is time for the Taoiseach to take a special interest in health and fulfil the commitment he made to the people and make meaningful changes that will result in these waiting lists coming down.

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