Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Health to the House, especially after her recent travels, and thank her for representing Ireland so well at the UN Commission on the Status of Women recently. Many of the points have been made and I will not get into repetition. This is very indicative of what we are hearing about health in general. When we think of health and the health service in this country, words that often come to mind are "battle", "barriers", "people travelling abroad", "waiting lists" and "trolleys". We need to change that imagery in the public perception. Many people were probably not aware what scoliosis was until recent years and until parents and children had to become almost full-time campaigners. Nearly everybody in the country is now aware of what it is and the issue at hand.

I agree wholeheartedly with this Bill and Senator McDowell's comments that it is unfortunate the Bill had to be brought here in the first place. I cannot put it as eloquently as Senator Clonan did about why the Bill is needed and the personal stories behind it, but he is right that this is not the fault of the specialists. This is very much a management and inefficiency issue. This country is awash with money. We are a wealthy country but it is about how that money is being spent and how we treat people in chronic pain who have debilitating conditions and disabilities. It is about restoring faith in our healthcare system and providing timely and effective treatments. It is about transparency, providing adequate resources and ensuring that the HSE is mandated to comply with specific guidelines. I welcome the Bill and think it is great it is being supported by the Minister. This is about collaboration, so it is about time we got on with it.