Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's reply shows an intimate knowledge of the system and its flaws and weaknesses and so on, which we all accept. We have to strive towards universal healthcare. However, it is no good telling that to the patient who has to wait, whether it is scoliosis or whatever else. I had spinal surgery during the summer. It was not possible for somebody to say to me, "We are working towards it. We will get to it in a year or five years." That does not work.

We should select, insofar as we can, the sensitive cases such as scoliosis patients who have been on a list for too long, patients with cataracts or spina bifida cases or whatever. They all need treatment and they need it now. The problem is that we have the expertise to deal with it. I had to have the expertise, although I had to pay for it in the usual way. The expertise was there, however. Once the expertise is there, there is an obligation on the public and private health services to come together to provide the kind of service patients need at the present time by way of co-operation or otherwise.

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