Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister of State. I raise the issue of waiting lists in hospitals. Unfortunately, records show that November was one of the worst months in history for overcrowding. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that that is very unfair for patients and their families, as well as the hard-working staff in the hospital network, to whom I pay great credit. As I am sure the Minister of State will agree, this is a time of crisis. It may be time to think outside the box in terms of what we can do to alleviate the crisis, particularly in smaller hospitals throughout the country such as Monaghan Hospital. The injury unit at the hospital operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. It functions very well and provides an excellent service. However, its opening hours should be extended to seven days a week in order to alleviate the pressure on hospitals in Cavan, Drogheda and elsewhere in the region. Last year I pointed out that approximately 4,500 people had passed through the doors of the injury unit. This year more than 4,000 patients had been treated by the end of October.

I compliment the HSE on its campaign to raise awareness of the services available at the injury unit. People may be treated for injuries such as broken bones and have casts supplied and X-rays taken. The turnaround times and the speed at which people are seen are testimony to its great staff. More than 91% of respondents in a recent HSE survey stated they had had an excellent or very good experience at the unit. Many were unaware of the full range of services available, which indicates that a further awareness campaign is needed. Many complained about the restricted 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, opening hours. It is worth noting that it has the shortest opening hours of the 11 minor injury units throughout the country. It treats as many patients as some injury units which open for seven days a week. I encourage more people to use it and the Government to explore the services available at Monaghan Hospital. In particular, consideration should be given to an extension of the opening hours of the minor injury unit for the benefit of all citizens in counties Monaghan and Cavan and elsewhere. At a time when more than 700,000 people are on waiting lists, surely, smaller hospitals could be providing additional services to alleviate the waiting lists. An audit of all hospitals should be carried out to identify the additional work they could do to alleviate the problems in the health service.