Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise again services at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH, Dún Laoghaire and the provision of rehabilitation services throughout the country. During my first week in the House, I made it clear that I would make this a key issue and I have raised it at least 13 times. Last week, I received a letter from the Taoiseach about it, and while I appreciate his response and the request he has made of the Minister for Health, who is understandably busy this week, to report back to him, some of the same 12 beds that were closed in the hospital during the first week in January 2017 remain closed this week. The hospital board and management want to reopen them. We have been informed that the HSE has a funding difficulty in this regard. Six of the beds have been reopened but six remain closed. It is a scandal at a time when our hospitals are in crisis and there are substantial waiting lists to avail of services in the NRH. Patients who are due to transfer to the hospital are blocking beds in other acute hospitals through no fault of their own, which is unsatisfactory. I have spoken to the Leader previously about this matter and he has pursued it, but it is important to keep it on the agenda. I appreciate the Minister for Health is extraordinarily busy at the moment, but I would like to report in two or three weeks that the six remaining beds have reopened because it is an important issue.