Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also want to thank Deputy Cullinane for tabling the motion. The Minister of State said in her contribution that she would give figures; I am also going to give figures. First, we have had 13 years with Deputies Harris, Varadkar and Stephen Donnelly as Minister for Health that have made the health service worse, with higher hospital overcrowding, hospital waiting times and wasteful spending.

Cancer services are one sector that the Government has not funded properly, because it has failed to fund the cancer strategy in five of the past seven years, even though we have the third highest rate of cancer in Europe. Here is another figure for the Minister of State: 70 out of 240 radiation posts are still vacant. Some members of staff are working ten hours per day just to facilitate the longer cancer waiting lists and burnout is a real issue. A lack of career development is also a major deterrent in the retention of these staff.

In a survey of radiation therapy, RT, professionals carried out last year, 60% said they will not be working in that profession in five years. That should sound alarm bells with the Minister of State and the Government, but it is not. They seem to have no interest in it.

Cancer surgeries are being cancelled because of hospital overcrowding. We need to end the recruitment embargo straight away and recruit or retain enough people in that sector. Sinn Féin has a plan and will deliver better health services. It is time for new ideas and leadership in health, with Deputy Cullinane at the helm.

No one in this Chamber has not been affected by cancer. We look on a weekly basis at how the Government is running the system and it is no consolation to anybody who has been through that experience that the Government is still in charge. We need a new government with Deputy Cullinane in charge.

See this speech in context