Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not being dramatic when I say people on hospital waiting lists are literally dying; it is a fact. They are going blind and their illnesses are getting much worse as they wait, wait and wait again to be seen by a consultant in the first instance. Having been seen by a consultant, they must wait, wait and wait again for the procedure. For those in need of a single hip replacement, for example, the waiting period is so long that their good hip becomes banjaxed. Therefore, instead of one hip needing replacement, both need to be done. Can you imagine your hip being so bad that it takes 20 minutes to get up the stairs to bed or to the toilet? What about the fact that the strain from the stair climbs or crawls and the constant excruciating pain, the lack of mobility and the constant use of strong painkillers often result in other ailments, including heart attacks, ulcers, obesity and mental health strain. I know many constituents who have suffered in this way, including a cancer survivor.

Others face blindness while languishing on the waiting list to see an eye specialist. That is before they are even put on the four-year-long cataract waiting list. These incidents are scandalous enough but for our children on the waiting list, the circumstances are a living disgrace. Shame on the HSE for overseeing, or maybe not overseeing, a waiting list with nearly 100,000 children who are awaiting operations and medical procedures. The 100,000 do not include children awaiting an assessment for speech and language therapy and much more.

Níor chóir don Aire an milleán a chur ar Covid nó ar ionsaithe ar chóras ríomhaireachta an HSE. Níl daoine tiubh. Tuigeann siad gurb é seo toradh polasaithe rialtais Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael ó tháinig siad i gcumhacht nuair a chruthaíodh an Stát seo. Ba chóir don Aire smaoineamh ar na hothair, na leanaí agus na seandaoine atá ar na liostaí feithimh agus beart a dhéanamh de réir an briathar atá ann i rún Shinn Féin. Gabhaim buíochas leo siúd atá sa chóras sláinte atá ag déanamh tréaniarrachta. Níl an milleán ná an locht orthu. Is ar an Rialtas seo, agus ar na rialtais a tháinig roimhe, atá an locht.

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