Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom an rún seo a mholadh chuig an Dáil. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Cullinane as ucht an rúin a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. There are now 1.34 million people in the State on health waiting lists. Some 893,000 of those are on hospital waiting lists. It is an absolute scandal that has been decades in the making. It is the result of mismanagement, incompetence and a lack of political will to address the gross inequalities that lie at the heart of Ireland's health service. This inequality is illustrated by the undeniable fact that access to healthcare is often determined by one's wealth and where one lives. Week after week, I speak to people waiting for essential treatment for themselves or their children who have been blatantly told that if they can go private the care that they need will be provided virtually immediately.

Those dependant on the public system tell me, and they will tell the Government if it will listen, that geography can determine the level of care they receive. All too many of the problems that we face originate in the failure to deliver proper working primary care services. In County Monaghan the decisions by previous Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments to remove services from Monaghan hospital continue to have serious negative repercussions. Emergency services were withdrawn from Monaghan and resulted in drastic overcrowding at Cavan and Drogheda hospitals. A minor injuries unit, MIU, was eventually established. It is a great service that should serve to ease pressure on both GP and emergency departments. However, the MIU only operates Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in contrast with most other minor injury units which operate seven days a week, 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. On top of that, for non-GP referrals there is now a fee of €75 for patients to attend. The result of this is that the numbers attending the MIU are falling while the demands on GPs and on emergency departments are ever growing. It is as if the Government is trying to make a bad situation worse. The Minister asked for practical solutions that can help ease the crisis in our health services. Here is one: open all minor injury units, and specifically Monaghan, to seven days a week with long-hour services and remove the fees associated with MIU presentations.

Governments refused to listen when we warned them of the consequences of withdrawing services from Monaghan Hospital. I sincerely hope the Minister and Minister of State will listen now.

See this speech in context