David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In her response the Minister of State referred to Waterford general hospital. It is not a general hospital. It is a university and regional hospital. The Government might want it to become a general hospital. It is certainly doing its best to reduce it to that level. It is a university hospital and it should be given its correct title.

I am not taking this out on the Minister of State but people in the south east and across the State have been shocked by the images of psychiatric patients lying on floors in the unit in question due to overcrowding. It is beyond a scandal. It has been highlighted time and again by politicians in this Chamber and by people who work in the unit. They are not to blame. Nobody can blame the staff in the unit for what is happening. This is a capacity issue. St. Senan's hospital in Wexford was closed several years ago which was the start of this problem. Patients from Wexford are referred to Waterford but it does not have the capacity to deal with them. There are 44 beds, 14, acute and 30, sub-acute, in Waterford department of psychiatry. They are taken up every day and there is oversubscription.

I cannot understand why the Government is not dealing with this issue. What is the point of us raising this issue in the Chamber if the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health is not here? It is frustrating. People are angry that this is happening to patients in that unit in Waterford. The Government needs to do more.

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