Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

It feels that we have a parallel Leaders' Questions here because we put a question forward and a parallel question is answered. The Taoiseach is hiding behind the issue of patient safety when it comes to Navan's accident and emergency department. However, this is the HSE that created a warzone in University Hospital Limerick by closing the accident and emergency departments in Nenagh and Ennis. This is the HSE that has presided over the increase in adverse incidents in this country from 79,000 in 2017 to 105,000 last year. This is the HSE that has paid over €1.4 billion in negligence claims in the past ten years. This is the HSE whose plan to close Navan accident and emergency department has been condemned by dozens of clinicians who are actually working at the coalface, not managers in the HSE itself. This is the HSE which has refused to carry out a feasibility study into what it would take to provide the consultants cover in Navan accident and emergency department to make it safe. This is the HSE which struggled during the Covid pandemic because of a lack of ICU beds and is now closing ICU beds in Navan. I am asking the Taoiseach to get a grip of the HSE and stop the closure of Navan accident and emergency department.

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