Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It all depends on what constitutes an emergency. The consultant body of University Hospital Kerry has serious concerns and is worried about the safety of patients in hospital. It says it has lost confidence in the ability of the HSE locally, regionally and nationally to provide safe, timely and effective care of patients. Our hospital is in crisis since the second week in September, with elective surgery cancelled, high numbers of patients on trolleys in emergency departments, staff shortages and staff burnout.

We have no surgical day ward and the acute medical assessment unit is closed more often than it is open. We do not believe the management at either group level or national level recognises or acknowledges the seriousness of the current crisis. At times, we have been left without ambulance cover in our county for days because an ambulance is directed to Cork and then finishes up going to Waterford and on to Clonmel. What happens is that our county does not have adequate cover.

I appeal to the Minister. I do not know if the Government has intervened in Tralee already but, if it has, it needs to provide more assistance because our medical service is not up to scratch.

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