Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We need more than just the Minister, Deputy Harris, acknowledging the problem. We need him to take action. One simple action would be providing the €6.5 million required for a properly functioning MRI scanner, which would address the issue of patients occupying beds and waiting for scans for which others could be in the hospital. No other region has such an inadequacy. There is a need for a particular focus on the region, given that it is clear it is under-resourced and underfunded. The health system is supposed to be fair to everyone, no matter what part of the country people live in, but we do not currently have this in the mid-west. That is the strong, factual point we are making. We have made it repeatedly and need a response. The extra beds need to be delivered as quickly as possible. One action that could be taken in respect of the 60-bed unit is ensuring the recruitment of staff alongside the resourcing of the building in order that when it is open, it will be ready and able to be staffed and occupied immediately. They are practical steps that could be taken, but we need to pull out all the stops to ensure the winter will not be terrifying for people who are ill.

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