Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am going to concentrate my time on all matters relating to health. The budget in regard to health has been very low key and quite bland. Normally, in my experience of budgets in these Houses, health budgets have been headline news regarding the level of provision and so forth, but this budget has not delivered on anything in the form of proposals relating, in particular, to Sláintecare. In regard to capacity, any mention of the 1,500 beds the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, signalled for acute services is completely absent. There will continue to be these unacceptable delays in waiting times and insufficient capacity in our public health system. The country is awash with money, yet the health budget has basically stood still, which is just not acceptable.

This is the case with regard to mental health in particular. Spending on mental health accounts for €1.1 billion, less than 5.5% of the overall budget. The recommended level of spending in most countries on mental health is 10%, so there is a huge deficit, which has a knock-on effect. It means people will go without and not get the intervention they need, and that will have very significant consequences, far beyond the realm of Leinster House.

One issue shows that the devil is in the detail. I got an email yesterday from a woman, who does not live in the constituency I represent, regarding funding that normally comes through the health budget for new treatments and drugs. I spoke informally to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, about this yesterday. Normally, there are tens of millions of euro for new treatments and new drugs from pharmaceutical companies but this year, there is zero. There is no money for new treatments or drugs. That will have enormous consequences for that person and she is not in isolation.

She is only one person. I am sure there are hundreds of people relying on new treatments and new drugs for illnesses they have. This is a serious and retrograde step for our health system. As I have said, as a consequence people will have to go without. In fact, this lady's doctor told her that she will have to leave the jurisdiction if she wants to get these particular medications. For the sake of €20 million to pay for treatments that will help hundreds of people, the Government is telling them they cannot get it and have to leave the country. This is a complete joke. I do not know who has made this decision, but hopefully they will reflect and funding will be put in place for new medications.

Overall, it has been a bland budget. It is a continuance of divided health services with inequalities within them. People have to wait and there are capacity issues. Again, this is an opportunity missed.

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