Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I too want to raise the issue of the medical scientists' strike this week. The health services are under severe strain and this is really showing that. It is reported that 30,000 procedures will be cancelled this week due to the two-day strike but the reality is that the disruption is much greater than that. Another 14,000 outpatient appointments will be cancelled each day as a result of the strike. Thousands of inpatient procedures, day-case elective procedures, maternity appointments and all the routine GP testing appointments will also have to be cancelled. The strike is completely disabling the health service. It just shows the importance of this particular profession.

We must be clear that the dispute is doing that and it is having serious consequences for patients right across the country. To give an indication of how serious it was this morning, on "Morning Ireland", Mr. Tony Canavan, the CEO of the Saolta group, stated that he was concerned that deterioration in the conditions of inpatients in hospital would not be detected because of the lack of regular testing. We cannot go on with this. Certainly, we cannot countenance another three days of strike next week.

I do not believe the people who are on the picket line want to be on the picket line. They want a resolution to this.

Patient safety is clearly being put at risk. It is having a hugely negative impact on patients, some of whom have been on waiting lists for many years, seeing long-awaited procedures being cancelled. The strike will cause further chaos with delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment, avoidable patient pain and suffering, and expanding waiting lists with which we already have a problem.

Medical scientists are the hidden heroes of the health service, the people who patients never get to meet, but patients' treatment and care are dependent on their hard work.

Despite this, and as has been mentioned, they are paid 8% less than biochemists and they do broadly the same work. They are paid less than laboratory aides, who have much less responsibility.

What is the Government proposing as a means to resolve this dispute? We were told last week the public service agreement group had recommended that the dispute be referred to the WRC. The MLSA has agreed to engage with the WRC but not to lift the strike action. However, the union has said that neither the HSE nor the Department of Health has approached it with any meaningful proposal or invitation to talks. There must be some talking in order to get the two sides engaged. What can the Taoiseach say he can do to bring these two sides to the table? Why has neither the HSE nor the Department of Health approached the MLSA with meaningful proposals they can talk about? The apparatus of the State is fine as long as there is something on which to engage. Will the Taoiseach tell us how he sees this being resolved?

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