Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

Absolutely not. As one who has campaigned for extension of the BreastCheck programme, I have been told on more than one occasion, for example, that there cannot be a centre of excellence at Nenagh General Hospital. That was never requested; what is being called for is an adequate level of service. People expect, as is their right, to have the best level of service which Ireland, as a wealthy country, can supply. People are at a complete loss to understand the reasons for reports on radio and television news bulletins which state that 150 beds are to be closed in the Mater Hospital and that there will be job cuts in the health services.

Although a huge amount of money has been spent on the health services in recent years, I was recently contacted – this is a true story – by a woman who was in a state of desperation following a call from St. Luke's Hospital, for the sixth week in succession, to inform her that her father, who was suffering from throat cancer, could not be admitted as there was no bed available. As a nurse, the woman in question could see a deterioration in her father's condition. Last Saturday, in Nenagh, a woman told me that, on the previous day, her father had been diagnosed in Nenagh General Hospital with a suspected brain tumour. Efforts to have him admitted to Cork Regional Hospital for a biopsy were unsuccessful, nor was there any indication as to when he could be admitted. Those are factual cases which demonstrate the reasons people are so angry that they are taking to the streets in protest.