Mary Henry (Independent)

It is terribly foolish of Senator Mansergh to call for local autonomy regarding health issues such as this. That is what happened in regard to Monaghan and Cavan hospitals. It is impossible to provide an accident and emergency unit at every crossroads and it would be wrong to do so. However, the Minister must make firm decisions in this regard.

The worst aspect of the health service is the terrible lack of morale among workers. Vested interests is another description for consultants. It has been proposed that newly appointed consultants should work only in the public service. That is absolutely splendid but what, in heaven's name, is the Minister of Finance doing giving tax relief to private hospitals when the existing ones are between 60% and 70% full? What sort of economic sense does that make? It is absolutely ridiculous.

Senator Feeney is a member of the Medical Council and she will be well aware that we passed with great haste in April 2002 an amendment to the Medical Practitioners Act so that non-EU doctors would find it easier to achieve permanent registration. Nothing has happened, yet there are problems all over the country because these doctors who were shoring up rural hospitals are not being allowed, quite rightly, by the Medical Council to work in them because they were not being trained. The council finally put its foot down and said it would not authorise such doctors to take up posts in hospitals where they would not receive training. There is delay in the appointment of neurologists, even though there are only ten in the State. There is one rheumatologist in the west. Is there no arthritis in Connacht? That is amazing. These problems are bad.