Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is mian liom díriú isteach arís ar an ospideál i gcroílár na Gaillimhe. I dtús báire, is mian liom cúpla focal a rá le cabhair a thabhairt don méid a dúirt an Teachta Canney.

The traffic congestion in Galway has been allowed to develop as a crisis in the interest of a lobby group. The best and one of the most effective ways to deal with that is to put in a light rail system, a park and ride, which has never been rolled out even though it was in the development plan 20 years, and a comprehensive school service. When the Taoiseach gave the history lesson on the judicial review, he forgot to mention the reason the decision was quashed was because An Bord Pleanála had failed to take into account what its duties were under climate change. That is an important point.

I will now use my other two minutes for the hospital in Galway. It is good that the Taoiseach is here because he was there back in 2017 regarding the hospital and I am shocked to say that the pressure on that hospital remains the same, notwithstanding the glowing reports for the staff. We have HIQA, and I will stick to HIQA. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is telling the Taoiseach about the latest progress of Merlin Park and I welcome that. Let us deal, however, with what I am telling him about the regional hospital, which services more than a million people in a population from Donegal down to Galway. The latest HIQA reports tell us there were 29 patients awaiting an inpatient bed. That is 29 people. The term "boarded out" is used. A year ago, it drew up a report which told us it was grossly overcrowded. This year it is worse, so I do not know what language is left if it was grossly overcrowded last year. In addition, we now have 31 patients in hospital who are ready to go out but there are no beds in any step-down facilities or nursing homes. That is the regional hospital in Galway.

In addition, when three of the wards were looked at, one of them, St. Finbar's ward, was found to be grossly understaffed. Different themes were looked at, which are extremely important, namely, infection prevention and control; medication safety; and transitions of care. Transitions of care are not being complied with because I have provided the Taoiseach with information on 31 patients waiting to get out.

What is not recorded is the impact of care not given, notwithstanding the great efforts of the staff. Imagine if we recorded the impact of people on trolleys. Dr. Fergal Hickey tells us ad nauseam that there are at least 350 premature deaths every single year directly related to the time spent on trolleys. When I was here as a newly elected TD in 2017 and when the Taoiseach was the Minister for Health, he provided me with a detailed answer about an options appraisal, which he told me would be published in 2018. That options appraisal was duly published. A brand-new hospital was strongly recommended; not an elective hospital, although I welcome that. A brand new hospital was recommended and the elective hospital was to be part of that.

I will use my remaining time to talk about a letter I have on oncology and waiting lists. Imagine a waiting list of seven weeks for treatment for a patient for chemotherapy and radiotherapy when the recommended waiting time is 14 days at most. I ask the Taoiseach to avoid telling me about the progress in Merlin Park, which I welcome on record, and instead deal with the situation of the hospital, the lack of staff, the delayed discharge and the awful pressure on staff, not to mention patients.

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