Results 3,281-3,300 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The Deputy can argue that it would be great if it was there 20 years ago but it was not. The fact is that it is there. The expansion of radiation oncology services under the national plan announced by the Tánaiste last July has increased the number of linear accelerators from four to seven, which will greatly improve the access for cancer patients throughout Cork and the southern region to...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It seems as if people do not want to see the new facilities. I am just giving the facts, that these are major investments.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: These are major investments in the area that Dr. O'Reilly, who is the consultant medical oncologist, wants to see. The fact is that these issues have been approved. I presume he hopes that these facilities can be put in place as quickly as possible. There is approval for the oncology, cardiac and renal centre, which will include a dedicated 30-bed oncology ward. I am sure that will greatly...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I do not think increasing the number of consultants by 700 is a waste of money. The implication, every time Deputy Kenny says that, is a negative one, though I know that is not the way he means it. Most of the money in the health Vote goes into buildings, equipment or staff. The buildings certainly are not a waste of money, I do not think the equipment is a waste of money because it is world...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I will not leave it go unanswered that the money is wasted. The money is not wasted. The people are doing their jobs and working hard. We know that cancer will affect one in three of the population. There are now 107 more consultant posts and 245 more clinical nurse specialists in cancer services——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: They are all working hard. They have helped to achieve——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I am trying to answer Deputy Kenny's question.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: They have helped to achieve a cut in cancer mortality of at least 15% for those under 65. They have made an enormously successful indent into the problem that existed a few years ago. I am not saying everything is perfect, nobody is saying that, but we are building a radiotherapy network that will bring the service as close as possible to people in every region. That service has opened up in...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Approval has been secured in the past few weeks to move to the development of a €47 million oncology, cardiac and renal centre, which will include a dedicated 30-bed oncology ward. Dr. O'Reilly is making the point that his facilities are not good enough. In response, I am saying that these facilities have been improved. If the doctor is saying that he would like the development to happen...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Money has been allocated to a dedicated unit and that is quite significant.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: That should not be.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We should ask that question of the 104,000 staff who are responsible and the management of those staff. I do not know if there is a smell of urine in the wards, but there are 104,000 people in the health service who are paid as much as I am to make sure that it is not there.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: We all have a responsibility and everyone is drawing their week's salary. If those problems exist, people are employed, under good conditions, to deal with them. Dr. O'Reilly makes valid points on which I was asked to respond today and I am explaining what is happening in that hospital to deal with those issues. I accept that the improvements will not be made tomorrow, but they have been...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: It does not change the fact that 107 consultants have been appointed in the cancer services.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: I referred to the health services in their entirety. Dr. O'Reilly is not the only consultant dealing with cancer. He is a medical oncologist but there are surgical oncologists, radiographers and clinical oncologists, a number of people working in cancer services. He has a locum since his colleague left to come back to Dublin, which was his wish.

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: Dr. O'Reilly said the facilities there are inadequate. Nevertheless it is relevant that 107 more people now work in the service in numerous areas, particularly Cork University Hospital where the doctor has complained he does not have all he wishes. We have in recent weeks progressed the development of a €47 million oncology, cardiac and renal centre, which will include a dedicated, bedded...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: The money has been allocated. This will be of major assistance to medical oncologists and their colleagues. In addition to 107 new consultants there are 245 more clinical nurse specialists. It is not correct that we are losing nurses, because the rate of turnover of nurses has dropped dramatically in recent times. This service, which people portray as terrible, and I do not portray it as...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: we have centralised——

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: People have made the argument at many of the meetings to which Deputy Rabbitte referred that they have brought about a huge improvement in the North by centralising services into one location. Deputies do not want to hear this but precisely that point has been made here for some time, whereas lobby groups argue against it because they want services spread thinly, the opposite to what Deputy...

Leaders' Questions. (22 Nov 2005)

Bertie Ahern: On BreastCheck, this is not the point consultants in the north have been making. They have a good centralised unit. As Deputy Rabbitte and the House knows, BreastCheck is now available in many regions throughout the country and it will be rolled out in full by January 2007. Significant resources have been put into the service, but it will not solve all the problems. One in three people have...