David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refer to a little spat that has been ongoing about writers, on whether they are Irish or British. I notice, for example, that great offence was taken when James Joyce was listed as a British writer in The Telegraph; unfortunately, the plain fact is that he was. He was born in and wrote about nothing but pre-revolutionary Ireland. He received a grant from the privy purse during the First World War which kept him going. He steadfastly refused to take an Irish passport and until the day he died was a British citizen with a British passport. That might have had something to do with his quirky nature, but it is a fact. On the other hand, of course, Myles na gCopaleen is probably spinning at 98 rpm in his grave at the idea of being described as Irish, but it is important that we look at these subtleties.
I am a big fan of the health service with all its defects. I would not be here today without the excellent service I receive from the staff and surgeons at St. Vincent's University Hospital. I cannot speak highly enough about them, as without them, I would be dead. Again, we have to face facts. There is a very worrying report on MRSA, of which there are 50 strains. We know that a certain amount is being done. Every time one visits somebody in a hospital or goes into hospital there is fuzzy material with which to wash one's hands and so on. The problem is that once one gets in to the hospital, having rinsed one's hands in foam, everything changes. The corridors are usually spotless, but once one gets into the rooms, whether private rooms or public wards - I have had occasion to visit people in both and be in them myself - they are not spotless. I remember one case in which a male patient was admitted and for a full day the sanitary bin provided for the previous female occupant which was full was not removed. Recently I came across another case in which somebody was in hospital for a major operation and put in a ward in the public hospital where another patient had become incontinent. The floor was mopped with a towel which was left sopping in urine and hanging behind the door the entire night. There was lavatory paper on the floor, the walls were scuffed, the shower seat was badly stained, wrappings from various medical instruments were all over the floor and post-operative patients were going to be brought to this ward. To my mind, the risk is probably greater inside the hospital. I would like to know about all of the highly paid administrators in hospitals. I am not against administrators, as they are necessary in a modern hospital to chase up patients if they do not attend their appointments and, by and large, they do a very good job, but what are they and board members paid? Why can we not have proper hygiene standards inside hospitals and, particularly, lavatories? It is outrageous that this should happen. I am aware that there are terrible staffing problems and do not like being critical of any aspect of a hospital service with which I have reason to be not just satisfied but delighted. In the old days there were nuns in the Roman Catholic hospitals and there was a matron in the Adelaide Hospital, of whom people were terrified. If there was some dust in it, there would be murder. In every hospital there should be a hygiene supremo responsible for dealing with hygiene issues. If it means getting rid of an administrator or a board member, so what? Hygiene is the most important issue, as otherwise people will die and hospital bred infections will continue to spread.