Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, wish to be associated with the vote of sympathy to Deputy Michael Collins and his family on the passing of his nephew. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, whose subject matter is close to my heart for the simple reason that, in Galway East, which is predominantly rural, people trying to find a GP contact my constituency office weekly. This is not an issue in rural areas alone because it is also happening in Tuam, the largest town in the county. Mothers come to my office distressed because they cannot not get a GP for their newborn child and the vaccinations. What is happening is wild.

We talk about the recruitment and retention of staff in the service. It is important to remember that one of the biggest problems faced by young doctors and nurses who have spent four, five or seven years studying is that they must work in a powder keg, under constant pressure. They need to have a proper work–life balance. Those going into the medical profession in the public service find it very hard to cope and, within a short time, they seek an alternative or seek to get out.

In Tuam, we have built a fantastic primary care centre. We have renovated the old Bon Secours hospital at a cost of €30 million to include mental health day services. We have put our children's disability network team, CDNT 7, into it. The facility is totally understaffed. Before Christmas, it got to the stage where the parents protested on the streets outside the newly opened facility.

I receive conflicting reports on the number of staff approved. For some reason, the approved number seems to have been reduced, according to two reports. I have taken this up with HSE. There is manipulation in reports. Even on the day of the official opening in Tuam, a senior person from the HSE stood up and claimed bravery for having so many staff in the disability network service. He was challenged on the floor, in front of the Tánaiste, with a statement that if he divided the number in two, he would be nearer the mark.

I do not know whether the issue is that people are unaware of what is going on. Staff are trying to deal with all this. It is no wonder staff go off sick. They need to have their holidays. They just walk away and go into the private sector, where they get a better quality of life. If this keeps happening, we will have fine buildings that are half empty, as at present in Tuam. The primary care centre was built for about €20 million but we never included an X-ray facility. In 2009, or maybe 2017, the then Minister for Health, Simon Harris, provided €700,000 for an X-ray facility to be installed in the building. This is 2024 and the facility is still not operational. All we needed to do was convert a room by lead-lining it, put in a door and put up a gantry.

The Minister of State knows what needs to happen in Galway. We are working on that, but if projects are to be carried out at the rate to date, we will not see the facilities built in Galway for the next 20 years. We need radical change to attract staff into the facilities and provide the most modern facilities, which people deserve.

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