David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the Minister who mentioned the pressure points in the health service because of the cut of €750 million, mostly in acute hospitals. That figure is not a true reflection of the savings that will be made in hospitals.

I bring the issue back to a local level. Sometimes when we deal in global terms, it is hard to understand the impact of cuts on local acute hospitals. This morning we were briefed by the Health Service Executive. Senior management staff, including the CEO, Mr. Cathal Magee, were present for what was a very good briefing session on the regional plan for the southern region and the impact of cuts on Waterford Regional Hospital. It is not only the percentage cut. The regional hospital budget was cut by 3.7%, but there is an overrun on last year, so the total loss in spending this year at the hospital will be 10%. We will lose three theatres. One was closed last year. Two surgical theatres will be closed this year and we will go from eight to five. A total of 25 inpatient beds in the regional hospital will be lost. We will lose two inpatient beds in paediatric services. We lost six inpatient beds last year. We will see a 50% reduction in spending on medicines in rheumatology. We will see a reduction on spending on medicines for people with asthma. We are told that people will no longer get drugs administered on an individual basis, but that the hospital will do it on a group basis. This raises fears. Someone may need a drug on Tuesday but could be told to wait until Friday or the following Friday when enough people will need the same medicines.

The problem is not so much about the money following the patient. The problem is that the money is simply not going into our hospital services. We have to look at the corporate governance issues. We have fragmentation of many services across the region. For example, we do not have 24 hour cardiology care at Waterford Regional Hospital. We need to make sure that regional hospitals specialising in acute services operate as regional hospitals and provide those services. That is not happening at the moment due to cutbacks. I ask the Minister to take that on board.

I welcome some of what is being done by the Government. However, the impact these cuts will have on front line services and on patient care this year in our acute hospitals will be immense. That is simply wrong. It is not what the Minister's party promised when it was in opposition and when it said it would deal with the real waste in the system, such as the money being spent by the taxpayer subsidising private health care. That is what needs to be dealt with; not these one size fits all cuts.