Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The first issue I wish to raise is the crisis in physiotherapy in Mayo. Hundreds of children and adults are waiting for physiotherapy. Some are waiting for an initial appointment while others have been clinically deemed as desperately needing physiotherapy on a weekly basis but they have not had physiotherapy for months. I appeal to the Minister of State and the Minister to address this. It has been going on for months.

Whole swathes of the county have been left without any physiotherapists. That is not right either on a social or humane level or a financial level either. We have people who cannot be discharged from the acute hospitals, either Mayo University Hospital or University Hospital Galway, because they do not have the necessary physiotherapy services in the community. There was a panel of physiotherapists. It is not as if we could not recruit them. I know this because I have seen a physiotherapist myself for months. They were all on a panel waiting to be appointed but they were not appointed by the HSE. This happened even though the positions were there, whether it was a case of maternity leave or those on long-term illness. The HSE would not actually appoint people in the positions to provide the medical attention that others needed. It is not right to leave these people in pain. It also means that they cannot be discharged to the district hospitals.

I heard my colleague, Senator Swanick refer to Belmullet District Hospital earlier. I was surprised and puzzled by this promotion of district hospitals. I have a deep belief in the value of district hospitals, including the hospital in Belmullet, but the truth is that Fianna Fáil cut half the beds in the hospital in 2010. This was in spite of a local action group begging and pleading for the beds to be left open. I find it somewhat perplexing that those in Fianna Fáil now say they value our district hospitals and that we need to have them upgraded and so on. Why then did that party cut the beds in half only a couple of years ago? That perplexes and bamboozles me. Perhaps there has been a change of policy and they now realise that these services have to be delivered locally or that as many services as possible should be local to the people.

We have seen how centralisation and privatisation has not worked. The centre of excellence in University Hospital Galway hospital is good but we still have people sitting on chairs and dying of cancer while begging for treatment. That is the reality, I am not making it up. Indeed, it has been the reality for many years. Wards have been closed because ceilings are falling in. Everyone knows that we need proper capital investment and a proper refurbished purpose-built hospital with parking and everything else that is needed at Merlin Park University Hospital. The grounds are available. All that is needed is the capital. We are told that we are in the recovery and that things are going well. Those of us in the west deserve a hospital and proper treatment. We deserve a hospital that will meet the needs of the population in the west. We will not let up until we get that hospital. We deserve it.

I wish to raise the issue of the approval of Translarna. I thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, for agreeing last Friday to meet Anne Marie Harte and Lewis Harte, her son. He is one of the little boys who desperately need Translarna. He is six years old. Only two little boys in the country need this drug. It has to be approved. As I said to the Minister the last day, I am begging with him not to get entangled in the legal process. There is a window of opportunity for negotiation between the drug company and the HSE. They need to sit down for the sake of these two boys who are eligible at the moment. Only three other boys will become eligible. I appeal for a commitment from the Minister or the HSE to meet the drug company. I know the Minister has agreed to meet Muscular Dystrophy Ireland. That is important. He should also meet Dr. O'Rourke, who is an expert in Translarna. The drug must be made available sooner rather than later because time is of the essence for these boys.

I could cover many other issues on health, including the other topics referenced this morning such as home help and carers and so on, but I will keep those for another day. I want to secure a decision on Translarna and proper physiotherapy services in Mayo.