Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with my colleague, Senator MacSharry, regarding the proposed strike action by junior doctors. It is important that the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, the Health Service Executive, HSE, and the Department of Health engage to try to do everything possible to avoid this strike going ahead. The entire health service as it exists is facing major challenges and any kind of strike action will only cause further difficulties for those who work each day in the hospitals. It will affect patients and it is important that efforts are made to resolve this issue as soon as possible. However, it also is important that this issue regarding junior doctors be faced up to. While it has been kicked around the place for the past 15 or 20 years, no fundamental change yet has been made as to how the junior doctors are employed. I have been raising this issue for the past two and a half years and do not wish to be raising it for a another two and a half years, regardless of the outcome of the referendum next Friday. This issue must be dealt with and it must have a long-term, not a short-term resolution. I ask the Leader to raise this matter with the Minister for Health and that he should intervene, if necessary.

On the issue of a clinical indemnity scheme raised by Senator MacSharry, it is time that consideration be given to how personal injuries claims in respect of medical negligence are dealt with. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board was introduced to deal with claims resulting from car accidents or industrial accidents but no fundamental change has been made on how claims pertaining to medical negligence are processed. It is time to make such a change and to put in place a better structure for dealing with it, as well as making all possible efforts to reduce and eliminate such claims by having a more effective system for dealing with them in the hospital and medical care spheres. This is something towards which Members should strive to make improvements over the next few years.