Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I say, "Well done," to RTE for its programme last night. I did not see it, but I do not need to see such a programme to find out what is going on. I call on the Minister for Health to come before the House to report on the overall situation in medicine and the health service.There is a crisis in the accident and emergency departments. We know that. Trolleys are being counted. We know that. I had reason to go to University College Hospital Galway, UCHG, over four days, from 26 to 31 January, as visitor, friend and relation. I must commend the excellent work on the ground. It was like a scene from Martha Mitchell's "Gone With The Wind" in Atlanta, Georgia, with the chaos. Organised chaos, perhaps. Once one gets into that situation the medical team moves very quickly. There were only two emergency recovery cubicles in that particular section. There needs to be a reconfiguration of the hospital system so that accident and emergency departments become mini hospitals within hospitals, and that there are beds allocated there to ensure that people are not on trolleys. The fact is that once one gets into the system one can be cured.

I would like to send best wishes to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, for a speedy recovery. He had an accident on 2 January six minutes from the closed accident and emergency department in Roscommon, and he was brought to Portiuncula and then on to UCHG. It is a disgraceful situation.

The former Minister, Senator Reilly, is here. He proposed the closure and Denis Naughten voted against it. Denis Naughten was carted from the car crash and-----