Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This motion from Sinn Féin highlights many of the critical issues facing our health service. The Government's amendment, on the other hand, outlines much of the work undertaken by the Government and indeed, there is some progress. However, it is from a very low base in that the number of inpatient acute beds per capitain Ireland was one of the lowest in Europe and just to start redressing that situation, we needed to employ significant numbers of staff to support those beds.

I note that the amendment quotes the number of nurses per head of population in this country as being positive, and it is, but I also note that it does not quote the number of specialists, consultants, physiotherapists or occupational therapists, as well as many other healthcare staff, per head of population. That is because we are well below theper capitarate of many developed countries. The bottom line for most people who need treatment is whether that treatment will be available in a timely manner. They will ask, will my surgery proceed within a reasonable length of time? Why are waiting lists so long? Why do I have to wait on a trolley for days on end before I can get a bed? Those are the realities that people face, as they themselves or their loved ones seek urgent and necessary care.

When I speak to people who need to attend Sligo University Hospital, they quite rightly tell me that they are concerned about going to the accident and emergency department. Just today, our local radio station, Ocean FM, reported that there were 61 people waiting for a bed in the emergency department. This is the second most overcrowded hospital in the country. Sligo University Hospital is a small hospital compared with many others so those numbers,pro rata, are worse than what we see elsewhere. I looked at the figures on trolley watch for the first six months of this year at Sligo University Hospital. A total of 3,926 people were waiting for a bed during that six-month period.

The Government amendment tells us of money spent and staff employed but the people in the north west have yet to see any real positive impact of Government policy. On top of this, we have the bombshell of the embargo on most front-line posts. This was announced because the HSE had already spent its budget. Talk about a crude instrument of rebalancing - just cut off new recruitment of most healthcare workers, close the door and pull down the shutters. There has been no analysis of areas in dire need or of different healthcare settings and what is required to deliver a decent, viable service. We have a situation where healthcare staff who have been interviewed and are awaiting a contract, who might be going through the Garda vetting process, CORU registration or occupational health screening, are having their job offers withdrawn. The rug is being pulled out from under them, just like that. Has anybody looked at the potential impact of this crude policy instrument? It is no wonder that the secretary of the INMO, Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha, has said that this recruitment freeze represents a serious error on the part of the employer and the impact on the provision of care is going to be disastrous. Already Children's Health Ireland is warning about overcrowding at Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght.

I understand that the Government does not have a bottomless pit of money but if there is a problem, it must identify it and then figure out its causes. It must ask how we got to this point, not throw out the baby with the bathwater or throw the toys out of the pram. The Government must find a solution, a way that best protects our patients, healthcare staff and our healthcare system. It should not use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, a recruitment freeze that I and many others believe can do untold damage.

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