Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is laughable that Fianna Fáil has brought forward the motion when it and Fine Gael have been joined at the hip in deliberately capping health expenditure over the past 12 years or so. They have reduced the number of badly needed acute hospital beds and, disgracefully, the number of HSE staff under the three austerity Governments since 2007. We on the Committee on Budgetary Oversight have year after year examined the budgets and, inspired by people such as Fr. Seán Healy and others who have appeared before the committee to give us evidence and ideas, have found that health budgets are consistently too small. That is the bottom line. Budget 2020, which was announced a few weeks ago, outlined Estimates for the health Vote, Vote 38, of €18.3 billion for 2020, €18.4 billion for 2021 and €18.5 billion for 2022. Where did the Department of Finance get those suspiciously similar figures? What about the delivery of Sláintecare or of additional services? Everyone in the House and all our constituents know that these Estimates are significantly too low to address the crucial needs outlined in the motion. Even in the case of the additional funding the Minister brought forward for Sláintecare, there was a €20 million integration fund and a €12 million core redesign fund but we have not received reports of what is happening in that regard or how it will help. All the new expenditure, such as the €25 million for the NTPF he mentioned, the €10 million for palliative care and so on, are simply too low, or at least too low together, and they leave out crucial sectors of the health service. Most members of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight have consistently sought realistic, sustainable budgets for a well-functioning health service in order that we will not keep reverting to crisis after crisis. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and Deputy Michael McGrath of Fianna Fáil have together agreed four budgets over the past four years which have simply failed to deliver that, which is why it is ironic to hear the health spokesperson of Fianna Fáil so upset by the matter.

At 8 a.m. today, 360 people were on trolleys around the country, with 174 people waiting on wards, which included ten people on trolleys at Beaumont Hospital. There were 30 people on trolleys at the Mater Hospital, eight at Crumlin hospital, 23 at Tallaght Hospital, 25 at Cork University Hospital, 23 at Mercy University Hospital, 27 at University Hospital Galway, 25 at University Hospital Waterford, 30 at University Hospital Limerick and so on. One of the most despicable aspects of the statistics is that it was reported in October that 107 children had been forced to wait on trolleys for beds to become available. Professor Malone, the master of the Rotunda Hospital, whom others reference, has told us graphically that overcrowding contributed to one premature baby dying and two others being infected with meningitis because of beds being so close together and that approximately 4,500 premature babies are born each year. He seeks an additional €50 million for the neonatal intensive care unit.

Ms Eilish O’Regan, the distinguished correspondent of the Irish Independent, reported yesterday that waiting list surgery will have to be scaled back in December and January to free up hospital beds for patients on trollies in overflowing accident and emergency departments. Service plan targets set by the Minister to reduce waiting lists to below 500,000 and surgery waiting lists to below 60,000 will reportedly be abandoned. Will the Minister confirm this? Like other Deputies, I have contacted Mr. Paul Reid, the CEO of the HSE, and the Minister since the spring about reports on health service constituents who briefed me on the 2019 embargo on staff appointments. The Minister has denied that the embargo is happening, as have the Taoiseach and Mr. Reid, but I have learned of appointments made last April for which the new workers, whether front-line or support staff, will be taking up their jobs in January 2020. That is clearly based on financial and administrative grounds. The embargo did happen. It was disgraceful and it should not happen again because there should be a realistic budget for 2020.

In general terms, the motion lays out the horrendous aspects of the health system. We must support urgent action on it.

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