Seanad debates

Tuesday, 19 October 2021

Sláintecare Implementation: Statements

 

2:30 pm

Photo of Victor BoyhanVictor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. In preparing for today, I took a look at the Sláintecare progress report for the period January to June 2021. The byline is "Right Care. Right Place. Right Time." Would it not be great if that were actually the case?

I take on board that there were three major issues that the Minister rightly identified in his contribution. These are the kernel of the problem. The Sláintecare document states that they are significant challenges. They are highlighted using a green, amber and red colour system with which the Minister of State will be familiar. The three challenges are significant and have been identified as such by the officials in the Department and the Minister. The issues are the implementation of the multi-annual waiting lists reduction plan, the implementation of the eHealth system and the development of the regional health areas. There may only be three such issues but they are three of the most significant, as identified and set out in the report.

The vision for Sláintecare is to achieve a universal, single-tier health and social care system whereby everyone has equitable access to services based on their need, not their ability to pay. That is the strapline; that was the major line that was announced in the press release when Sláintecare was launched, with great ambition, in 2017. It is great that we have ambition for our health services. The ambition was to reform our healthcare system and end the divide between public and private healthcare.

The resignations of two significant members of the Sláintecare implementation advisory council are of genuine concern. How they were communicated internally to the Minister and Secretary General raises serious questions. The matter gives rise to questions about communication, confidence and the team to which we have entrusted our healthcare system. The lack of communication and the question of who saw fit to tell whom raises serious questions. It does not instil confidence in a system. The key concerns are clearly over a commitment to providing for the regional structures of the HSE. We see that the HSE has got too big. Arguments are made about how it handled Covid. There was a centre and people seemed to know what they were doing, yet we see this monolith that is the HSE. There are issues regarding accountability. The Minister of State knows well about accountability in the health service. I commend her on many of her contributions in this House in respect of the shortcomings of the health service. It is not just a matter of talking about the shortcomings, however, it is also about identifying areas where we can address them. I acknowledge the Minister of State's work in this regard.

The key question is whether, if the political establishment is fully behind Sláintecare, the HSE and political establishment are united in their approach and delivery? We have an endless situation in which better-off people can skip the queues. That is the reality of it. I spoke to someone the other day who could not even get cover from the VHI for a scan at the Beacon Hospital and had to pay a few hundred euro to another company in another part of Sandyford to look into potentially serious issues concerning cancer of the throat. This is outrageous; it is crazy.

We need to ask whether we are really committed to providing universal free access to general practitioners. Are we serious about reducing the waiting lists? Time and again, I stand up here and talk about the 907,000 people – just short of 1 million – who are waiting for treatment of some form. This represents an increase of 66,000 in 12 months. I understand the Covid issues, IT issues and all the various setbacks and challenges. I am not realistic in accepting these, and I realise that the Minister of State accepts them too, but we must be realistic.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association, with which the Minister of State will be very familiar, was scathing about the progress on Sláintecare. It expressed deep concern about waiting lists, the resignations and the lack of meaningful solutions. These are of concern, but I am particularly concerned about how we are going to address the matter of the nearly 1 million people waiting for services.

I was very disappointed by the Department's response regarding the 172 children with scoliosis. This was the subject of a Claire Byrne interview last week. The Taoiseach, the Minister of State's leader, said there was some sort of systemic failure. Today, someone was talking about it on behalf of the Department but there were no solutions or dates set for the 172 children, some of whom have had two, three or four appointments cancelled. I am extremely concerned about this. I realise the Minister of State is also concerned.

Those are just some of the issues I wanted to share with the Minister of State in the small amount of time I had available. I thank her for coming to the House.

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