David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have no difficulty whatsoever with hospital networks and agree they are necessary, based on the rationale outlined by the Minister, in terms of getting managerial expertise across a network of hospitals. The point is that in the south east, we already have a highly-effective regional network of hospitals, which provides a whole range of services, from cancer care, cardiology, acute trauma and orthopaedics and in many of those areas it is working well. In that context, if it is not broken, why fix it? What we need to do is develop capacity in the region and not see a situation where there is a realignment, even if it is on a temporary basis, of Waterford with Cork rather than the more natural regional alignment which prevails at present, with the existing clinical network teams. That is the argument of the consultants from Waterford and across the south east. I ask the Minister to be conscious of that when recommendations are made. Ultimately the Minister will have to make the decisions, based obviously on the information he receives but also on his own view of what is in the best interests of patients in the south east region.