Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Malley. I compliment the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, on her statement which spelt out clearly the Government's intent. I support the Government amendment to the motion. The Fine Gael motion condemned the Government. It would be very hard to support a motion that condemns anyone for providing extra beds in the system. It is immaterial whether the hospitals are public or private once the beds are available to care for patients.

I support the building of private hospitals adjacent to public hospitals, as it would attract to both the general and private hospitals the very best professional people. We want to attract back to this country the very best professionals. Irish professional people are doing a great job throughout the world. We want to have hospitals that will encourage them to come back here to practice.

I support adding private wings to general hospitals. Patients will all go in the front door to be treated. The Minister of State has supported the area of psychiatric services. We have added wings for psychiatric patients to our general hospitals and closed down the big units with high walls. We now find that patients no longer spend as much time in these wings as was the case and are far better when discharged.

The professionals can be available regardless of whether they are in private or public hospitals once they are in close proximity. I speak from personal experience. Last year I was taken by ambulance from Tullamore to the public hospital in Dublin where my consultant worked. Within minutes he was available in the private setting. This is why we can have the very best available to us in either public or private once they are in close proximity.

The Tánaiste spoke about 1,000 new beds and a saving to the Exchequer of €520 million which can be put to good use elsewhere in the health services. She mentioned 11 new developments of private hospitals. In addition some private developers are looking to provide other units close to general hospitals. Where people must pay for hospital car parking, with the private and public hospitals adjacent to each other that car park can be utilised for both. There were some exceptions such as the private nursing homes, which have done an excellent job in providing step-down facilities. The more beds we have the better will be the care for our patients.

The Tánaiste spoke of in excess of 13,000 public beds and 2,500 private beds. Why not add another 1,000 beds to the system? Patients do not worry about being in public or private beds. They want top class care and I know we will be able to give them such care in any new developments that take place.

I compliment the Tánaiste and the Health Service Executive on developments taking place in day procedures in our hospitals. A few years ago I went to a major hospital in Buffalo in America. Adjacent to the hospital was a hotel where patients stayed prior to day procedures and then stayed in the hotel for a few days when recuperating. We may need to consider such an option here. There is an opportunity for the private sector to provide such facilities to allow us to maximise the use of the expensive facilities in our general hospitals.

Any extra public or private beds are welcome. We now have many more hundreds of thousands of people who because of their financial position can afford private health care cover. In these circumstances why not let the private sector provide the facilities in which they can be treated? I compliment the Tánaiste for her work. Throughout the years we have had problems with the health service. At the same time, great strides have been taken. I support the amendment. It is a good amendment but while I am a little disappointed with the motion, every Member of the House is entitled to table one. I wish the Minister of State well.