Seanad debates

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

2:30 pm

Photo of Catherine ArdaghCatherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last week which showed that certain hospitals and the HSE were not implementing the consultant contracts from 2008. It showed that one consultant had worked 13 hours in a public hospital over eight weeks. There are 2,700 consultants working in 47 acute hospitals around the country. They are meant to work an 80:20 ratio of public hours to private hours but this programme showed that some consultants have been spending more than 20% of their time working in private hospitals. This does not just affect private coffers, it affects the health system and public health waiting lists. Last week I came across a young boy who is waiting for a dermatology appointment. He has been given an appointment on 19 March 2019. This is very unfair. The Minister for Health should address the House on waiting lists.

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