Results 9,761-9,780 of 11,348 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care Services (5 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: 583. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider the provision of additional funding for regular and reliable home nursing care for those living with more severe epidermolysis bullosa, to ensure a greater quality of life for those living with EB in Ireland and those who care for someone with EB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53569/23]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Research and Training (5 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: 584. To ask the Minister for Health if greater research will be undertaken by his Department into the quality of life of people living with epidermolysis bullosa in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53570/23]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Waiting Lists (5 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: 616. To ask the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) who, as part of a class that was on an orthodontic test scheme, was placed on routine fixed waiting list in 2019, will receive treatment under this scheme, given that it is over four years since they were placed on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53837/23]

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Were there one or two areas where we did not get straight answers from representatives of Departments? I ask even though I know we await the next set of accounts. One instance concerns how the horse racing industry ran into problems on the morning and there may be another instance.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Is there another entity?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (7 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Yes, fair enough.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (7 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Over the past six to seven years we have increased the number of staff in our hospitals and the health service generally by over 40%. We have moved from 103,000 whole-time equivalents working in the health service to over 143,000. However, we have not increased the infrastructure available to them. For instance, a lot of consultants are finding that they have only one half day per week in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank all of the witnesses for coming in here this morning to give us an update. I will first deal with the issue of the surgical hubs. When are we likely to have all of these fully operational with regard to the design, build and making them available? What timescale are we talking about for each of those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. McCallion see any of those opening in 2024?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: There is a huge change in that we have had a 40% increase in the population over the last 23 years. We have a huge demand for services. Can anything be done to expedite the delivery of these additional services? We can talk all we like about the employment of more consultants but consider what happens if we employ more consultants. For instance, one consultant came from the United States...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: In the remaining period of time there is a problem in that some theatres are not operating after 4 p.m., as I said. We have already had the Secretary General of the Department of Health telling us the number of people employed in hospital services increased by 36%, but the actual number of people being seen and treated in hospitals in some cases is as low as 10%, and in some as high as 20%,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: I will raise one specific point with regard to South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork. There are two new theatres for ophthalmology and a new outpatients clinic, but there is still no agreement about the transfer of ophthalmology from Cork University Hospital to South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, and no progress has been made. As a result, the theatres and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: That is not the question. Nothing has happened. Absolutely nothing has happened.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: We have lost time. We are putting money into infrastructure and then finding it is not being used appropriately. A huge number of people are having to travel to the North for ophthalmology and are travelling outside the State for ophthalmology and yet here we are. It was flagged up over two years ago that this was to happen yet here we are two years later with under-utilisation of a brand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the issue of the elective hospital. I understood - it was said here by the Minister for Health a number of months ago - that we would expect to be going for planning by October 2023. However, we do not even have a design team appointed. Even if we appoint a design team at the end of January, when can we expect to have a design for the new elective hospital? When are we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: We have had a population increase of 40%. We are talking about building a new elective hospital. If we went out to the private sector they would have it done and dusted in three years. At the rate we are going we will not see this hospital for at least five years. We are under huge pressure in all of the core costs. We need additional beds. We have a whole lot of problems where we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. McCallion accept that given the increase in population and the number of people in employment increasing, the timescale within the Department and the HSE is no longer adequate to deal with the demands on the service? There is an additional problem with the growth in population among the older age group. It will be 1 million people within the next five years. We are not going...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Colm Burke: Is that giving an excuse for a delay with the elective hospitals?