Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to speak about Sláintecare. It is a most important initiative, and one that has been talked about for a long time. We all support the concept of universal healthcare being provided to people based on their medical need and not just on their ability to pay for that medical care. For our party, it is intrinsic and a priority. We campaigned very strongly on the issue in the election of 2020, and made a very firm commitment that we would introduce and ensure full implementation of Sláintecare were we to have the opportunity to serve the people of our country. That is what the Minister of State and the other Ministers at the Department of Health are dedicating themselves to doing.

We have talked about other individuals. However, it is most important, as we have this discussion today, that we all remember that there are more than 70,000 people working in our health service. They are all providing an input and working not just to care for people's immediate medical needs, but to ensure that universal healthcare will be available in the future. It would be wrong for any of us to take away from that fact. They have come through and served all of us during the pandemic. Fearlessly, they have put their own lives and families at risk. They have done all of that based on their determination and sense of public duty. We all owe them a great debt of gratitude. Everybody has played their part in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been a once-in-a-century event. Everyone who has been involved in achieving the greatest response in terms of public health, the roll-out of the vaccination programme and testing and tracing has served all of us.

On top of that, in parallel, the Government has managed to make progress with Sláintecare. I believe €1.2 billion has been provided for new initiatives in the course of the last year. A budget in excess of €20 billion has been secured for next year. The sustainable funding of those 70,000-odd front-line workers and healthcare professionals is most important. It is encouraging to see it. Let us deal with the facts. The mid-year review of Sláintecare showed that 109 of 112 identified actions have been progressed, have been completed or are on track to be delivered. The Government has been in place for one year. I am sure that nobody in the Department of Health or the HSE is sitting on their laurels. Everybody must be exhausted after the year we have had. The progress made is an achievement and all those involved must be commended on it.

My party supports the Government's objectives of reducing waiting lists, increasing capacity and delivering the right care at the right time. It would be honest for the Opposition to remind themselves or at least acknowledge that when it comes to talking about waiting lists, there is nobody in this Republic who thinks the waiting lists are acceptable. Nobody believes that those in pain or in need of medical care should have to wait. The Opposition party that talks about waiting lists in this jurisdiction, when they are double per capitain the jurisdiction where it is actually in government, is pushing its luck.

In terms of budget 2022, I wish to commend the Minister of State on the disability budget. Next year, the budget for disability services will be €2.2 billion. The Minister of State has managed to achieve a 92% reduction in the waiting lists for assessment of needs, particularly for young children, which is an issue that is close to my heart. That is tremendous and an historic achievement. All those involved should be congratulated. I hope that next year we will see even further progress in this area. It is that type of progress that makes universal healthcare become a reality for people. When people can access health services that they need when they need them, it makes a difference.

The €1.1 billion provided for mental health services and the €2.3 billion provided for older people in budget 2022 are most welcome. The Government has introduced initiatives in terms of trying to help people who are on low incomes to access healthcare when they need it, including the extension of the provision of free medical care to six- and seven-year-olds, the extension of the provision of dental services to medical card holders and the reduction in the drugs payment scheme threshold. We all know that the job is not done, but it is going in the right direction. We must encourage all those involved in the Sláintecare project. It is ambitious, radical and game-changing. However, we must not forget that our health service has been in place for decades. The change, which I absolutely believe will be achieved, will also include the prioritisation of women's health. That is an issue that is important to my party and to the Minister of State. Initiatives have been taken on ending period poverty, focusing on menopause and endometriosis and providing free contraception, which are issues that are intrinsic to women.

Finally, I ask the Minister of State to take an interest in the extension of the Rotunda Hospital. It is awaiting the approval of a design team for its critical care unit, in the west wing. It would be great if the Minister of State could bring us some good news on that issue.