Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State. Most of those present would agree with many of the points made by Senator Crown and that, in the light of the fact that there are six medical schools in the country, it is extraordinary that we are being obliged to introduce this emergency legislation. I have heard Senator Crown speak on many occasions about the need for an increase in the number of consultants. Those of us who interact with our local hospitals know that he is correct in this regard. The huge manpower deficiencies throughout the system must be addressed. I agree with the Senator that the term "centres of excellence" is a misnomer. Most of us have major concerns about the facilities available at the so-called centres of excellence.

I have great confidence that the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, will improve the health service. He has inherited a huge mess. Not too long ago a former Minister referred to the Department of Health as Angola. The previous Minister abdicated responsibility, to a great extent, and created the monster that we have in the HSE. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, in a few short months has hit the ground running and he is determined to make the major decisions that will start to deliver the best possible outcomes for the users of health services throughout the country.

This Bill is a positive development despite the reservations many of us have about it. It addresses an issue which has been a cause of anxiety and confusion in recent months, that of whether we will have sufficient doctors to continue the running of our hospital services, whether we can attract people into these services who will continue to work here, and whether we will have continuity of services. The fact that we will be in a position to have junior hospital doctors for a period of up to two years is a positive development. The protests in Roscommon in recent days have highlighted the genuine concerns people have. They are worried about whether they will have access to a safe service on a timely basis. I have confidence that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, from what he has indicated in recent days, will put in place a system in Roscommon that will deliver a safe, reliable and efficient service for all of the people. I am aware that a mandatory protocol for the safe inter-hospital transfer of patients from Roscommon County Hospital to an appropriate hospital within the HSE west network of hospitals has been put in place in recent days.

One of the hospitals that will have to pick up the slack is my local hospital, Portiuncula Hospital, in Ballinasloe, which expects to have a significant increase in activity. I was pleased to discover last night that it will have in place its full complement of NCHDs next week. That hospital must be given additional resources if it is to carry out this additional workload. I hope that staff can be redeployed, possibly from Roscommon County Hospital, to assist with the increase in activity that will occur there.

That hospital is a vital part of the health service delivery in my region. It is intended that it will have category three status but I am concerned that the hospital, through the non-filling of essential posts in that hospital by the HSE, is in danger of failing to meet HIQA standards. I call on the Minister to ensure that the vital positions in that hospital, which are not subject to the moratorium, are filled as a matter of urgency.

The availability of beds could become an issue in Portiuncula Hospital where the average stay is 4.5 days, but I have been told that there are currently 20 patients in that hospital who have a stay of longer than 21 days. The Minister will also have to address the issue of step-down facilities if sufficient beds are to be available to provide for the increased activity in local hospitals as a result of the reduction of services in other local hospitals.

This is positive legislation. The situation the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has inherited is not ideal but he has to address it in the national interest. I urge him to continue apace with the good work he has started. Our health services are in a dire state, as many Members have indicated. The Minister has an enormous task ahead of him but I have confidence that, with his experience as a medical practitioner, he has the ability to deliver a health service to the people that they deserve. We all want to see a world class service delivered. We are a long way from that now but, hopefully, during the lifetime of the Government we will see the sorts of changes and improvements, to which Senator Crown referred.

I am concerned that bureaucracy within the HSE will choke the positive progress the Minister, Deputy Reilly, is attempting to make but I urge him to continue on the path he is taking. I hope that by the time he leaves office the people of this country will have a much safer health service that our people deserve and that we can have the type of recruitment and numbers of specialists and doctors that are required to deliver a safe service for the people of Ireland.

I commend this Bill to the House. I thank the Minister of State for outlining in great detail what is proposed. I hope that over the next few weeks all the positions required to deliver a safe service will be filled.