Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last night may have been an education for us on how junior doctors in the health service have to work. I suggest we work one late session or one early morning session once a week until we face up to that difficult issue in the health service. I refer to a matter raised by Senator Feargal Quinn, that is, organ donation. Senator John Crown appeared with a number of others before the Joint Committee on Health at 9.30 a.m. That is an indication of the endurance one has to learn to have as a doctor. An issue that has arisen in respect of organ donation is that there are a number of organisations trying to promote it, but there is no co-ordination between the HSE and the Department of Health on the matter. This raises an issue which I raised recently in an Adjournment debate about the Department of Health which meets groups individually but is not meeting all groups involved in a particular issue together. For example, in regard to elderly care, it will meet representatives of the nursing homes on their own, representatives of the HSE on their own and representatives of HIQA on their own, but no co-ordination is taking place within the health care sector. We need an urgent debate with the Minister on the co-ordination of services within the health care sector involving the HSE, the Department of Health, HIQA, health care providers and all those who work in the system as delivery is unorganised and disjointed. That matter was raised at the Joint Committee on Health this morning, with reference to the issues raised by Senators Feargal Quinn and Martin Conway. As it is time there was much greater co-ordination, I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House to deal with the issue.