Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Page 6 of the programme for Government promises that efforts to increase access to safe, timely care close to patients' homes will be a priority for the Government. Almost four years on, the health service has deteriorated at an alarming rate under the Government's watch. The numbers of people waiting on trolleys on a daily basis is a national scandal. A total of 649 people are on trolleys today, with Cork being the worst where 93 people have been waiting on trolleys. There were 65 patients are on trolleys in Cork University Hospital, CUH; 23 in the Mercy University Hospital; and five waiting for beds in Bantry General Hospital. Two weeks ago I spent a week fighting for a prominent man in Limerick to get a bad. He was left on a trolley for a week in University Hospital Limerick. What steps is the Government going to take? We are not yet in the thick of the winter. What is the Government going to do to address this appalling situation?

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