Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I apologise for being a little late; I had another engagement. I concur with my colleague Senator Burke in welcoming this legislation. It is something that all general practitioners across the State will welcome because it will give them a certain level of protection. We have to recognise the Trojan work being done by GPs throughout the country, east to west and north to south. They often work in difficult circumstances to deal with emergency situations and so on. The thrust of this bill will give them a certain cushion and allow for medical indemnity insurance to be made available.

Of course it would be remiss of me not to mention the concerns of GPs, particularly in the north west, with regard to an issue I raised here recently. I refer to the absolute logjam in referrals to hospitals by GPs, particularly Letterkenny General Hospital, where waiting lists are continuing to increase. I am aware that many GPs, some of whom I have met in recent weeks, are more than concerned. I am not having a political shot at the Minister. I know there are management issues. I heard what the Taoiseach had to say in the Dáil today about the management issues in hospitals. This needs to be dealt with at management level within hospitals. Each hospital receives a budget. Perhaps that system needs to be totally overhauled down the road.

I absolutely agree with what was said in the Department of Health's publications in 2012 about the need for a mechanism that ensures the money follows the patient. In other words, hospitals should be paid for their current activity rather than for the work they did last year. I suggest that until that happens, we will not have the performance incentives within hospitals to make them efficient and effective and to improve outcomes for patients. I do not doubt that the Minister is aware of this major issue, which is a source of frustration for many GPs, particularly in the western group area. I am thinking specifically of the north west and of Letterkenny General Hospital, which is geographically isolated from the other hospitals within the group. While there are major issues in that regard, I do not want to take away from the thrust of the Bill.

I welcome the Bill and what has been said about it. I know that GPs appreciate the work that has gone into bringing this Bill to fruition. I acknowledge the work of the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, in that regard. I do not doubt that in light of his background as a GP, he was able to bring expertise to this agenda as he drove it forward. I hope he will show similar initiative in driving the agenda that seeks to achieve a reduction in waiting lists. I do not suggest that the difficulty in that regard lies within the Department of Health. As legislators, we have a responsibility to raise the difficulty that exists and that needs to be addressed regardless of where it lies. It is wrong that politicians often play politics with the health sector. We should not do that. There are major issues and vested interests that need to be dealt with. Many Ministers for Health have tried to face this challenge. All Ministers for Health need to be supported in their efforts. I will support any effort that the Minister makes to try to deal with the issues that are causing the logjam in our public hospitals.