John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I add my new year greetings to those we have heard and wish everybody a productive year working on behalf of those who have elected us and the broader society.

I ask the Leader to bring to the attention of the Minister for Health information which came to my attention, unfortunately, after the HSE service plan meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children yesterday. The information suggested the problem with respect to the waiting list for dermatology appointments is still really critical. While it has been brought under one year in several Dublin centres, I am aware of at least one Dublin centre where it is longer than one year. I am aware of one centre outside of Dublin where it is two years. I am aware of another two centres outside Dublin where it has been brought down, but by the recourse of taking patients who are on long-term waiting lists and getting them private appointments in Dublin. Unfortunately, it now transpires that some of these private appointments are with persons who are not on the specialist register. In one other hospital where the waiting list was ten years, it has come down to six years. There is still a big problem which needs addressing.

Second, I ask the Leader if he would bring to the attention of the Minister of Health this document which I have in my possession which shows that a statement made on behalf of the Department of Health before Christmas was based on faulty information which was provided to it. I believe it was a sincere statement by the Department but it was given the wrong information. It states that an independent inquiry had taken place into the fraudulent billing by the administration of St. Vincent's Private Hospital to the VHI and other insurance companies for drugs which had, in fact, been supplied to that hospital for free as trial supplies. As it happens, I have here in my hand the contract and the terms of reference for this allegedly independent investigation. The investigation was, in fact, initiated and commissioned by the management of St. Vincent's Private Hospital - the same institution which should have been under investigation. It was paid for by the management of St. Vincent's Private Hospital. Its terms of reference were drawn up by the management of St. Vincent's Private Hospital. Of its seven major headings, it could be argued that six had nothing whatsoever to do with the circumstances of the dishonest billing.