David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. It will be interesting to see how he will be judged at the end of his term of office. His predecessors have not been judged very kindly because they did not make the correct policy decisions.

It has been continually stated that the Department of Health is a poison chalice. That will only prove to be the case if the Minister makes the wrong policy choices. If, however, he is bold, courageous and radical during his tenure, he will be successful and he could potentially be the most successful holder of the position the State has had in a long period. Everything we have heard from him up to now can be characterised in two ways, namely, he has almost been apologising for the mistakes made in the past and he seems to be seeking to undo the big vision of his predecessor without setting out his own position and vision. That is a matter of concern.

I wish to paint a picture for the Minister with regard to the situation on in the south east because this provides a good reflection of the state of the health service nationally. Since 2007, University Hospital Waterford has lost 300 staff. Of these, 130 were nurses. There are fewer nurses, junior doctors and consultants at the hospital. As a previous speaker noted, we cannot fill many of the vacant consultant posts. Perhaps the Minister might be in a position to shed light on why there is a difficulty in filling such posts in the south east and Waterford, in particular. There are fewer beds open at University Hospital Waterford. In fact, we lost an entire ward there. Perhaps the Minister might do me the courtesy of listening to what I am saying. The hospital also lost two surgical theatres and overall capacity has been significantly reduced. What are the consequences of this? A number of departments at the hospital - including ophthalmology and orthopaedics - are a disaster. Sinn Féin's health spokesperson in the Dáil tabled several parliamentary questions relating to waiting times in University Hospital Waterford on my behalf. The position with regard to the orthopaedic department is an absolute disgrace, with people obliged to wait for up to four years in order to see a consultant. That should not be the case. An arrangement was reached with Cappagh Hospital and we were informed that people would be seen and receive the full complement of care. However, this arrangement was scrapped. I raised the matter on the Adjournment - the Minister was present to reply - but we still have not received a satisfactory response as to why the arrangement in question was ended. People were sent to Cappagh Hospital, some of them were seen but others were not and a number did not receive the treatment they require. I raise these various points because they provide a good flavour with regard to the problems that exist in the health service generally. As is the case elsewhere, services at University Hospital Waterford are stretched and front-line staff are under fierce pressure.

Another matter I wish to raise relates to the closing of the geriatric care facility at St. Patrick's Hospital, Waterford, resulting in the removal of 25 beds from the system. We were promised a new 50-bed unit but this has still not materialised and has given rise to a further capacity problem in the south east.

To return to the Minister's big vision and that of his party, Fine Gael has rowed back on promises in respect of primary care and free GP care for all. The latter no longer appears to be on the cards in the context of the Government's current term of office or, potentially, its next term. Despite the fact that he made a comprehensive opening contribution, the Minister failed to set out what is his vision. I will conclude by reiterating that he will be judged on the basis of what he does. His predecessor said a great deal but he was judged on what he failed to do and on the mistakes he made. I sincerely hope the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, will not follow in his footsteps. I also hope he will not be another failed Minister for Health who talked tough but who did not follow through with policies, reform the system properly, deal with the real issues or break - once and for all - the unequal two-tier health system that exists in this State.