Dáil debates

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

 

12:10 pm

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I received a message from a doctor in the past couple of days. He stated:

I have luckily had no patients who have died of coronavirus. I have had at least three though who have had delayed cancer diagnoses due to the shutdown of services and the delay in services. These will almost certainly die. I have others who are desperate to be seen by specialists but are hitting a brick wall in trying. The shutdown of the health services is killing people.

That is a startling statement for any doctor to make and it is not an isolated situation.

Around the country many people who are currently cancer symptomatic are facing a brick wall when it comes to reduced and closed services. The consequences of this will be enormous for them. Likewise, the cancellation of cancer screening has seen thousands of abnormalities, precancerous cells and cancers missed this year already. The numbers for cancer screening carried out in this State this year are startling when compared to those for last year. We have a bizarre and confused situation, which demonstrates the priorities of the Government whereby a person can get his or her hair cut and be in the physical space of a barber or go to a beautician and be in their physical space but people cannot attend BreastCheck at the moment. People cannot get a face-to-face consultation with mental health services staff in the majority of counties.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this pandemic has been the refusal of the Government to research the human cost in mortality and morbidity of the shutdown of the health service. I have asked on many occasions. The Taoiseach brought the party leaders together with the heads of NPHET and the HSE only last week and I appreciated the opportunity to be there. However I asked this question again, and again it went unanswered. There is no effort by the Government to understand the actual cost in mortality and morbidity to people throughout the country due to the shutdown and closure of health services.

The truth of the matter is that without that information the health service resource allocation cannot be made on the basis of evidence. Without that information, resource allocation is being made blindly by this Government. I ask that the Government carry out that research and open up critical healthcare services for people in real need across the country.

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