Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Ceann Comhairle, all the staff and all my colleagues here in Leinster House a good Christmas. I hope 2022 will bring better times for all of us.

Today we are speaking of Covid-19 and its impact. Every person I speak to is concerned about the impact on our hospitals and our ICUs. People are concerned that our health services will become overwhelmed with Covid patients. While we know that the number of patients becoming infected with Covid-19 in Ireland in the fourth wave, which we are in the middle of now, is higher than at any point other than last January and February during the third wave, we also know that the number of people in hospitals and ICUs is significantly lower. That is positive. However, what Covid has done is expose many of the weaknesses in our hospital system. Ireland, with 2.9 hospital beds per 1,000 population, is far below the OECD average of 4.4. We also know that Ireland has 5.2 adult ICU beds per 100,000 population, compared with the OECD average of 14.1. I know those are 2019 figures and we have improved somewhat but we are still below those averages. Those failings in our hospital system have been exposed.

We are now at a critical juncture because of the highly infectious Omicron variant and many people are concerned about what may happen in our hospitals in January and February. We need to look today at contingency plans for all our hospitals. We need, in particular, to look to those hospitals that are already at crisis point. Before I came to the Chamber, I visited one or two websites. I looked at the Irish Patients Association website, which monitors the most overcrowded hospitals. Two of the top three were in the north west, namely, Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital. Letterkenny hospital is in second place and the Sligo hospital is in third place, with 166 patients on trolleys for the week ending 10 December. That did not only happen that week. I will give the Minister of State further figures to show this is an issue that has been escalating. If we consider the top five most overcrowded hospitals in the ten weeks before 10 December, Sligo University Hospital features six times on that list. I had a quick look to ensure this did not happen only in recent months or was primarily driven by Covid-19. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, provides figures through Trolley Watch, and I thank it for them. According to the annual figures, in 2006, there were 784 people on trolleys in Sligo University Hospital. Those numbers have continued to grow, year on year. In 2012, there were more than 2,000 people on trolleys. To the end of November this year, there were 3,852 people on trolleys. We will exceed 4,000 this year.

It is also important to note that we are not just looking at figures; we are also looking at the trauma and pain that patients experience and the unrelenting pressure on staff. We know that excess deaths occur as a result of overcrowding and waiting.

A few weeks ago, an INMO protest at Sligo University Hospital was averted at the very last minute. On that particular day, there were 25 patients waiting for a bed, the third highest total in the country. I raised the issue with the Taoiseach, who told me that extended financial provision had been given to hospitals, and I accept that. The truth is that is simply not enough for the hospital. Two and a half weeks ago, he stated: "I will ask the HSE to focus specifically on Sligo to determine how we can help further and alleviate pressure there in the next while." I do not know what has happened in the two and a half weeks since he promised that the HSE would further support the hospital. All I can say is that I am getting more emails and Facebook messages about the chronic overcrowding there. I received another two messages earlier from people who were in the emergency department over the past few days. One woman told me it is beyond dangerous.

I acknowledge that all hospitals need support but those hospitals in the most difficult position now and that consistently have the greatest numbers of patients on trolleys must be prioritised. I know there is no magic wand and I am happy that the Government has had a lot of success dealing with Covid and with the vaccination programme, etc. However, our hospitals are now in a very dangerous situation. Where hospitals require specific support, as is the case for Sligo University Hospital and Letterkenny University Hospital, I ask the Minister of State to look at providing that support over the coming weeks, like the Taoiseach promised.

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