Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on the most important issue we have to deal with in the Chamber. Members are aware the HSE was put in place in January 2005. I and a lot of other people believe that since that happened our health service has deteriorated to such an extent that it is now in a total shambles. Nobody knows - I do not know - how it will be redeemed or retrieved or what will happen to give people confidence in our health system because they clearly do not have it at present.

There are four Ministers or Ministers of State with responsibility for health. We have a Government, Taoiseach and President but we do not have a health service. We do not have enough nurses and the nurses we have are not being properly paid. We do not have enough doctors or consultants. I know of one patient who has been waiting for three years for surgery. He cannot get it because he is a public patient and the consultant who was dealing with him at the start went into private practice and has not been replaced. The man has to sit in an arm chair half standing up. He cannot lie down and he cannot sit properly. He has to try to stay half standing. That is the way he is day in, day out. There is no accountability. That is what is wrong.

Kenmare community hospital has been opened four or five years now. I give credit to one man and no other. That is Jackie Healy-Rae who fought hard to get that community hospital for Kenmare. Lo and behold, it is only half opened. It is not even half open because 21 beds are still not open. It is the same story for the new hospital in Dingle. A local farmer gave the Government the land for the new hospital free of charge and only half the hospital is operating at present. There are offices in other parts of it. That is what is happening in Kerry. During the roasting summer there were 22, 23, 24 and 25 patients on trolleys day after day. That is what was happening down in Kerry. What will it be like before the springtime if the winter gets bad?

The big worry I have for the people of Kerry is we have been promised a new hospital for Killarney but if this children's hospital in Dublin is going to double its cost, will the funding be there for it? People have to wait six months for carers. Elderly people like to stay at home as long as they can. They would like to die at home. That is what they want. It is not fair that people have to wait six months to get carers.

Look at what is happening with private health insurance. When a patient goes into hospital someone comes to see if they are on private health insurance. If they are, their health insurance provider is charged over €800 for the stay in the hospital whereas it would only be €75 otherwise. What is that doing to private health insurance but driving the cost up and driving it beyond the reach of working people who would dearly like to have proper cover for their families? It is not attainable now because of the cost.

People are in pain and people are going blind. We are taking buses to Belfast week after week with people having operations for cataracts, hips, knees, tonsils and many different things. They can be done in Belfast and people can get the money back from the HSE when they come back but we cannot do them in our own hospitals in the south of Ireland. Why is it? I do not know if the Minister of State is listening to me or not. I do not know if he really cares because he made a statement a few weeks ago that in 20 years' time there will be no nursing homes in Ireland. Where are we going to go with the people then? What will we do with them? If we are going to close the nursing homes, what other place is there for them?

I have gone beyond my time. I am sorry.

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