Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

People in Ireland are living and even dying on waiting lists. It is right that this is of concern to everyone. The nation was shocked by the stories that were revealed on "RTE Investigates: Living on the List" on Monday, 6 February, which was not much more than a week ago. The harrowing stories we heard on that programme have served to connect us in a powerful way with the people behind the numbers. It is said that a week is long time in politics. We are living with this truth with everything that is going on at the moment. I thank the Senators who have proposed this motion to ensure the life-and-death matter of people on waiting lists continues to capture our sympathy and, more important, our attention. We must resolve to address it.

If the waiting list numbers are accurate and can be believed - an issue that is directly addressed by this important motion - the most recent indication is that there are 632,000 children, men and women on waiting lists in Ireland. I wish to focus on the facts as they pertain to women who are on the waiting list for life-and-death gynaecology assessments, treatments and procedures in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Ms Patricia Connolly is a 37 year old woman whose life has been blighted by pain. She waived her privacy and anonymity to share her story on "RTE Investigates: Living on the List". She is on painkillers as she waits and waits on the list. According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund's figures for gynaecology waiting lists at Cork University Maternity Hospital, some 4,350 women were waiting for outpatient assessments at the hospital in January of this year. There had been a reduction in the figure when 100 patients were outsourced to the Mater Private Hospital. There are 459 women on the inpatient waiting list for Cork, of whom 412 are on the waiting list for Cork University Maternity Hospital and 47 are on the list for South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. The figure of 459 was arrived at after 50 patients were removed from the list through outsourcing. Although the National Treatment Purchase Fund helps a small number of people, it is not a long-term solution. We need long-term capacity so that people are not in desperation and despair as these lists build up.In The Irish Timesyesterday a respected GP in Cork was reported as stating that very probably women had died as a result of having to wait for a gynaecological check in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Dr. Mary Favier said:

Of course, the difficulty is that you can't say for certain that somebody has gynae cancer - there are some symptoms that are suggestive of it, so if somebody bleeds after the menopause they get seen quite quickly ... because there is a high risk of gynae cancer.

But it's the in-between ones who may have gynae cancer but are not showing any signs and need investigation; they are the ones at risk. So I would say, yes, definitely, without a doubt there are people dying on the gynae waiting list because of the delay.

I organised a briefing for Members of the Oireachtas on 9 January with the doctors at CUMH, long before the "Prime Time" programme was broadcast. At that meeting a Deputy asked why there had been no outcry about the number of women on the waiting list for gynaecological treatments in Cork, given the scale of the problem. One answer was those on the waiting list were women. Women keep quiet and do not talk about conditions such as the menopause, period pain, heavy bleeding or prolapse. It is not a subject to be discussed in mixed company. Women often keep their concerns to themselves so as not to upset or worry their children and families or to jeopardise their jobs. I had problems with bleeding and was barely able to go to work; therefore, I know and knew this from direct experience. Women battle on knowing that something with their gynaecological health is very wrong or even could be fatal.

The doctors have not been silent. They have been raising awareness internally of the alarming growth in gynaecology waiting lists for years, but their worries and concerns have consistently been minimised and ignored. This has resulted in CUMH having the longest gynaecology waiting lists in the country. The doctors eventually felt they had to go public and be political. It is not a doctor's job to talk to the media or politicians, yet this is what the doctors felt they had to do to attract some attention to this issue. They outlined a practical four point plan. The first was that additional gynaecology theatre staff should be employed to increase the level of theatre capacity from 30% to 100%. We were shown around an empty theatre which had been built for the purpose of dealing with gynaecological procedures. They also suggested developing and staffing a gynaecology day unit, an issue raised by Senator Colm Burke. They recommended building and staffing the gynaecology one stop shop which was part of the gynaecology plan published by the HSE in 2014. The further suggested employing a minimum of four additional consultant gynaecologists. Each of these things has to happen together. Using the National Treatment Purchase Fund or cherrypicking one of them will not help to solve the problem.

The doctors eventually received some attention and put their four point plan directly to the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, on 12 January. The Minister agreed to meet them and management again in six weeks. In fact, he asked me to contact his office to set up the meeting. What I want to know is whether he has been active in engaging with local HSE management and doctors since 12 January? What progress can he report to the women of Cork city and region and Member of the Oireachtas who are rightly concerned about the out of line, out of kilter gynaecology waiting lists in Cork? I know that one has not been set, but I have been asked to contact the Minister's office to set a date for the meeting, which is encouraging. Will he commit to and guarantee that he will see to and fix the dysfunctionality and the communication and teamwork breakdowns between doctors and management in CUMH and provide the resources needed? If local HSE management was asked if it was effectively harnessing the efforts of the workforce - its own performance indictor - I do not know how it would be able to answer the question in all honesty, given the size and scale of the problem.

Can the Minster eliminate the gynaecology waiting lists at CUMH which are the longest in the country? The only acceptable answer to that question for the women of Cork is: "Yes, I can; yes I will and I will follow through with actions and resources." That is why I welcome and support the motion. I also welcome and support Fianna Fail's motion. They should be added together, rather than have one substitute for the other because there is merit in both. People on waiting lists around the county, in particular the women of Cork, must receive the attention they need. It is a shocking shame that it has taken all of this effort and energy to shine a light on the problem.