Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the encouraging report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing, also known as the Hanly report. I applaud the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, and his ministerial colleagues in his Department for the work they have done to compile this report. I do not mind if there were 3,000 meetings. The fact that the report has been well researched, compiled and produced is evident from the number of meetings mentioned by Senator Feeney. The process bodes well for what I hope will be a speedy process of implementation. If I can find a fault with the reports that have been produced, it is that they are not implemented speedily. There should be an accelerated rate of implementation of the Hanly report. I put that forward as a suggestion and I hope it will happen.

The Hanly report takes account of the EU directive on junior doctors' working hours, the effects of which will become apparent within 12 months. I am heartened by the comments of the Minister, Deputy Martin, this morning. He said that the number of junior doctors will not be increased, but a larger number of consultants will be made available.

I read the report and marked the sections I wish to discuss while I was away for the weekend. The report makes it quite clear that hospitals will not be closed. This area should be focused on and I would like Ministers and spokespersons to discuss it. Although the centres of excellence will be the main hospital centres, every hospital will be a centre of excellence in itself, regardless of its level. Perhaps we are shying away from this aspect of the report. It is possible that we are not concentrating on it.

The Hanly report determines the best options for patients. We should not be debating what should be in the various towns because the most important matter is to determine what is best for patients when they need to be attended to. I do not believe that the people of this country are best attended to by being brought to a hospital that does not have the competence or the staffing to undertake a particular medical regime for them. It is clear that such a system would not be in the best interests of patients. It is important that hospitals should know their parameters, limitations and challenges so they can be staffed and funded accordingly.

The report has outlined where the major centres of excellence will be and what they will have. As a result, patients and their families will know what is on offer in the various centres. They will be able to decide how they can best be served by the hospitals. The various hospitals will be linked by primary and secondary care services, which are hugely important. Those involved in each centre of excellence have been made aware of the equipment, funding and staff provisions at the centres. The link to the primary care sector involves individual GPs diagnosing patients' particular conditions and deciding where they can be best served in that regard.