Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I have to admit I was somewhat perturbed by the opening remarks of Senator Thomas Byrne. It was an unnecessary attack on the Minister, demanding answers and solutions while accusing him of having no health policy. He said it is the Minister's job to keep people well. Senator Thomas Byrne is not here now but I do not believe it is the Minister's job to keep the people well or his responsibility to look after their health. Neither do I believe it is the doctors’, the nurses’ or the Government’s. Responsibility for looking after one's health remains with oneself.

I notice the same health service issues are to the fore now that were there when I returned from the United States in the early 1990s. Personally, I cannot understand why. Senator Crown referred to structures which seem to be the nucleus of the problem. There have been ten different health Ministers since the early 1990s but we are continually experiencing the same problems. The Minister inherited a poisoned chalice, a point made in the media when he took over the role. I certainly know he is not God. I do not even know if God can put this right. At this particular stage, after many years of trying, we need a miracle to get it in the right direction.

There has been a complete mismanagement of the health service, a feature of the last Government which held office for 14 years. What did it do about it? Absolutely nothing. It led the economy from bust to boom and bust again. Unfortunately, the health service remained in a bust situation through that time.

Sarah Burke, in her 2009 article “Boom to Bust: Its Impact on Irish Health Policy and Health Services” in the Irish Journal of Public Policy, cited several reasons for the difficulties experienced, particularly the population experiencing a baby boom and people living longer. From news reports yesterday, we see we will be facing into serious consequences in this regard over the next several years when the baby boomers pass their mid-60s. Sarah Burke stated, “Medical inflation has continued to rise alongside increased expectations and demands on health services.” She also stated the greatest failure of the last Government was that during the boom time in health, the budgetary allocation multiplied. However, lots of time and money was wasted on reform yet things got worse. Why? Structures. She stated, "Between 2001 and 2010 there has been much time, effort and money spent on reforming the Irish health services, most evident in the establishment of the Health Service Executive, HSE, in 2005." The HSE was in total disarray right from the beginning when it took many months even to appoint a chief executive. Many of the problems we are currently dealing with originate from this particular period. For instance, instead of prioritising increased front-line staff, medical care staff, nurses, doctors and consultants, 11 different health boards, over 50 hospitals and multiple other health and social care agencies were merged into one centralised unit but not one person lost his or her job. There were no changes to work practices. Roles were duplicated and, in the end, there was absolutely no difference in how the health care system was delivered. Sarah Burke said this was all done under the name of reform. What reform has taken place?

The last Government was accused of wrecking the economy. It also wrecked the health services. This Government is trying to fix the health services, just like it helped fix the economy and put it back on track. In December, the Minister convened a task force to find a long-term solution to overcrowding in our accident and emergency departments, a welcome move. While attendances at accident and emergency departments increased by 3.1% for December, we cannot blame the Minister or the Government for overcrowding. What has the Minister done since? Up to 750 transitional care beds were funded by the Department. In addition, across the country hundreds of short-stay beds have been made available while arrangements are in place in the HSE to recruit front-line staff in Beaumont, Limerick, Drogheda and Naas hospitals. A communications campaign has been put in place to encourage more people to use minor injury and local injury units. This should help to relieve pressure on the emergency departments and allow patients to get treated more quickly.

Spending on health services runs into the billions of euro. Many years from now, this will come to trillions. This is money spent on sick people. We need to look at how we can nip this in the bud. Prevention is better than the cure. Today’s young children and adults must be educated from a young age to look after their health and well-being. In the long run, this will mean fewer people attending hospitals in the future.