John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I am also disappointed by some of the comments on the problems in the health service. Senator Minihan's statement that money continues to be the major problem is incorrect. While I acknowledge that health expenditure has increased considerably, the main problem in the health service is not funding but the absence of value for money and service improvements. It is clear the health service has disimproved in the eight years in which Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats have been in office.

The Tánaiste may have occupied her current position for just eight months but she has been at the Cabinet table for eight years of unprecedented economic growth, during which many billions have been spent on the health service. The service has deteriorated at a time when significant improvements should have been expected. While I hope the Tánaiste will be able to reverse this trend in the coming months, I am not convinced by anything she has said in recent weeks, including her speech this morning.

Senator Feeney is correct that St. Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny is run by a dedicated group of medical practitioners. The hospital is largely a victim of its own success in that issues and problems which arise are addressed quickly before they can become national issues. During a conversation this morning, one of the hospital's doctors described the five cubicles in the accident and emergency unit. Only two of the cubicles are suitable for use in an accident and emergency facility because one has no equipment, a second, the resuscitation unit, is equipped solely for resuscitation purposes and an emergency fire exit is located in the corner of a third, a highly unsatisfactory position given that trolleys may block access in the event of an emergency. Urgent action is needed to solve this specific problem. All is not rosy in St. Luke's Hospital. Despite the best efforts of staff, a serious problem remains as the facility is hopelessly outdated and overcrowded. The accident and emergency unit, which deals with almost 30,000 patients per annum, has only five cubicles, just two of which have dedicated equipment. This is wholly inadequate in this day and age.

The doctor to whom I spoke is not Irish and worked for many years in the Australian health service. When I asked him to compare facilities in St. Luke's Hospital with those in Australia he told me the former were about 15 years behind the latter. Much work needs to be done and many hard decisions taken. While I extend my best wishes to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children in taking these hard decisions, I have not been impressed by what I have seen and heard thus far.