Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I heard that and qualified what I said but my basic point is that we must look at wherever there is good practice that puts the patient first and is a success story. Let us not close such places. Let us look seriously at building St. Luke's as a satellite centre to support St. James's, as was suggested in this Chamber.

Those are my few words. I ask the Minister of State to comment on the situation in Galway as described by me and others and to explain how he will ensure UCHG, the only centre of excellence that lies above the country's mid-line, from Galway to Dublin, will become a centre of excellence in practice. Will he support Dr. David O'Keeffe and Professor Kerin to ensure they have a dedicated centre with beds into which they can admit patients directly and that they will get the €12 million worth of drugs this year?