Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being here on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to discuss this important issue. University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is in the headlines again today. It is the most overcrowded hospital in the country, with over 80 people waiting for a bed. There are approximately 670 people waiting for a hospital bed across the country but Limerick has the highest number of such patients and is consistently in that position.

When the CEO of UHL, Ms Collette Cowan, and her team led by Professor Lenihan, appeared before the Joint Committee on Health in September, they spoke about the proposal for an elective hospital for Limerick. The Taoiseach admitted in the Dáil that this proposal needs to be considered. A report commissioned by UHL referred to the need for extra beds for Limerick. It is estimated that 302 additional beds are needed in Limerick and the wider mid-west region, across six hospitals. UHL is having to deal with a growing population and is constantly in the news. We must think of the workforce there as well as the patients. Those attending the hospital want to be treated in a safe and compassionate manner. They deserve timely treatment and should not have to wait for hours to be seen or to get a hospital bed. I want to pay tribute to the staff who work so hard.

I am aware that the Minister for Health was not supportive of this proposal in the past. However, when he visited the hospital recently he gave a commitment to Ms Emer Martin, the CEO of St. John's Hospital, that he would consider its proposals. When Deputy Harris was Minister for Health, he made a commitment to consider locating an elective hospital at St. John's Hospital in Limerick. St. John's Hospital has 99 beds currently. It is a nightingale hospital but there is huge potential to add on to it. The original proposal was for 120 beds but this has been increased to 150 beds. The proposal is for so-called replacement beds which would allow for procedures to be carried out in the hospital. It is an old-style hospital but the proposed new extension would make an enormous difference. There is also a proposal from University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, UPMC, for a new hospital which means, in effect, that there are two proposals on the table.

An elective hospital is needed for Limerick and the mid-west. The people of the mid-west deserve better. The day on which the Minister for Health visited UHL was a particularly quiet one but if he was there today he would see over 80 people waiting for a bed in the hospital. Obviously when there are so many people waiting on beds, elective surgery appointments have to be cancelled because of the overcrowding. It is just not right that the people of the mid-west are disenfranchised in this way. An elective hospital is badly needed. This has been acknowledged by the Taoiseach and I understand it has been discussed at Cabinet. Something needs to happen quickly. The weather has been very mild up to now and we have not really had cold winter weather yet. I dread to think what we will face in the mid-west in terms of overcrowding and people not being able to receive the attention they need at UHL.