Seanad debates

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

4:00 pm

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

The radiographic equipment at the centre was also old and at the time it was designated a centre of excellence, audits and follow-up audits were not done. There was a problem. Funding for the centres of excellence was not ring-fenced, and that is a question for the Minister.

Many members of the public are of the view that "centre of excellence" is a title put by the Minister and the HSE on an existing service with a promise of some vague unfunded improvements in the future. The challenge is to convince people that funding will be provided for those centres of excellence because to some degree, patients are being asked to live in the future and tolerate misery in the present in terms of services.

There has been a breakdown in communications between all the players. I do not have time to go into that in detail but the Minister has said repeatedly that she is happy to be back in the Department of Health and Children. She quoted surveys indicating that the majority of patients are happy with the service they get, but when patients are in pain or fear and a good health professional responds to them, it is always the case that they are happy with the service. I put it to the Minister, however, that the surveys did not seek out or represent the women who were told they did not have cancer and were deprived of treatment for a full year. They did not seek out or represent——

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