Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the amendment put forward by our leader. It is yet another instance of the haphazard, headless-chicken, sleepwalking approach of the Minister for Health when we see the fears that have been expressed by many of us in the House many times. There are 105,000 people on waiting lists throughout the country. One wonders what the special delivery units are achieving. They were announced to much fanfare. Every time one or two people are taken off a list a press release is wheeled out for all of us to see, but the figures do not lie: there are 105,000 public patients throughout the country waiting up to or more than four years. It is unacceptable.

Moreover, in the context of the north west of the country, where the main hospitals are in Sligo and Letterkenny, posts for a consultant dermatologist, a consultant geriatrician, a consultant neurologist, a podiatrist, epilepsy clinical specialists and several other specialties were all announced to much fanfare by the Government, but none of these are in place in line with the clinical programmes and no money is available to pay them. What will that do for the waiting lists in that area?

Recently, one dermatologist broke ranks and spoke to the media, which is unusual for consultants. He said that the waiting list he presides over was borderline unsafe. He has told general practitioners to stop referring patients because he cannot guarantee a service and there is no dermatologist in place, although the position was to have been filled some time ago. It takes two years to see that person. Further, as Senator Byrne has rightly pointed out, there has been mismanagement with the announcement that free GP care for all will not materialise. The IMO predicted this and stated that it could not happen for at least five years. Yet at lunch time today the Minister of State, Deputy White, was in complete denial stating that it would be in place by the summer.