Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There was an article in the newspaper yesterday that stated Limerick had the highest trolley numbers. While I acknowledge the number has come down, we are still at the top of the list. We have the top med-tech and biopharma companies. We have a lot of companies that are relocating. I was at the launch of the rebranding of Legato as one of the top and fastest growing healthcare companies.Many companies are locating operations in the mid-west. A large number of them are doing so because they are involved in the area of healthcare, which is top of the agenda.

In the context of primary, secondary and tertiary care, we need our health authority restored to the city of Limerick as a matter of urgency. We need a full trauma centre, which should be based at UHL, as well as the accident and emergency unit. We need full capacity in the oncology centre. We need to be top in terms of the cancer care strategy because the oncology unit, which is a fantastic unit under the UL Hospitals Group, needs to be a leading centre, especially in light of the number of experts based there. Those experts need departments at St. John's, Ennis and Nenagh. I read the consultants' letter. While they say it would not be efficient to restore full accident and emergency units, better use needs to be made of those hospitals. We need to look at those hospitals to see how we can deliver better services to the people of Limerick, Ennis, Tipperary, Kerry and the mid-west in general.

Limerick needs to be chosen as a centre for major healthcare resources and initiatives. This would tie in with the research between those healthcare companies that are on our doorstep and the expertise in the hospital. I read the letter from the 87 consultants. They are extremely concerned. At the weekend, 11,000 people marched through the streets of Limerick. This shows that people are very worried about the future of the hospital.

To go back to our asks, we need the provision of the 96-bed blocks and the elective clinics to be accelerated. We cannot wait for this to happen in two or three years. We need to find a building, kit it out and start carrying out these procedures. Many people had their appointments cancelled in the recent months because the accident and emergency department was overcrowded and it was a case of all hands on deck.

We have four asks. If the Government supports those asks and takes action in respect of them as soon as possible, we will see a fully restored healthcare system that people are not afraid to use. My big fear is that people are staying at home because they are afraid to go to hospital.

I pay tribute to the staff. They have worked in very difficult circumstances. When the emergency was called on 4 January, people came in from home and put their shoulders to the wheel. We have to keep that going forward. The Government needs to be seen to support the people of the mid-west and to show leadership. The Minister put the crisis management team into the hospital, but we need to see delivery going forward.