Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have had discussions with the Minister in the House on this issue and I am glad to conclude in the time limit. Milliman pointed out - I know the Minister sent it back into VHI - that people were being kept in hospital for 11.6 days when the average length of stay according to best practice was 3.7. We will end up with a hugely expensive system if we keep people in hospitals for an unnecessarily long time. Reforming our health service is a long road, as Senators Crown and Burke and others have said. This is a good first step. I think we will all table amendments in a helpful capacity when it comes to Committee Stage. We wish the Minister well but he has inherited a system that is highly inefficient, very expensive and, in many cases, not serving the patient.