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

I also thank Deputy Guirke and Sinn Féin for giving us this opportunity to talk about our regional hospitals. I concur with everyone else here in asking that Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, and its accident and emergency department be kept open because it is most important. As Deputy Michael Healy-Rae stated, our accident and emergency department at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee is clogged up day after day. We have highlighted this here so many times, and the same thing is still happening. Even today we are hearing that there are 21 people on trolleys and last Thursday and Friday 17 people were on trolleys. That is not good enough. No mention is made of the number of people who are waiting on chairs. When they run out of trolleys, people are put on chairs and they are not counted at all for some reason or another but they are human beings. When they get sick they go to hospital and they need attention, which they are not getting. I am glad to take the calls I get on this at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. from an 89-year-old or a 91-year-old woman or man on a trolley and their families are so concerned. They often say that maybe they should not have taken them into the hospital at all because at least they would be in bed at home. That is not good enough.

We have to increase capacity and the number of workers. I compliment the workers in University Hospital Kerry and in our community hospitals throughout the county, like Kenmare Community Hospital, Killarney Community Hospital and Bantry General Hospital, where we also go. I compliment the workers on the service we get from them when they are under so much pressure. The Government has to wake up. We need to increase capacity at University Hospital Kerry. We are waiting for consultants and we cannot get nurses. Why is it that we cannot recruit consultants, nurses or staff in University Hospital Kerry and yet Cork University Hospital and the bigger hospitals have no problem in doing so? Is it the way the HSE is not offering them enough? Then we heard this morning that HSE officials or consultants are getting €700,000 per year. There is no man or woman in this country or in any part of the world worth that kind of money. The Government has to wake up. That would comfortably employ 12 people but to give it to one person is ridiculous.

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