30 June 2004
Dr. Henry: I thank the Minister for his speech and welcome him to the House. No one denies that a great deal of money has been spent on the health services. No one says that he has been doing nothing over the last few years. However, in spite of all the money being spent and the effort made, we seem to have terrible problems in some situations. I agree with some of my colleagues who have said that patients' lives are certainly in danger in some places owing to what I describe as a lack of co-ordination, and the effect on staff has been terrible. Other Senators, have pointed out the grave shortage of nurses, with most of them leaving within two years of qualification. That is what the Irish Nurses' Organisation tells me.
Mr. Martin: That is what they say, but we have no facts. I have received no documents and seen no presentation or study. We must question those figures rather than simply repeat them. I apologise for interrupting, but it is critically important for the debate that we analyse this a little more.
Dr. Henry: I assure the Minister that I would not want to mislead the House on anything. However, irrespective of what the Irish Nurses' Organisation says, I frequently see two nurses trying to do the work of eight. I am told that it is because they cannot get other staff. I must accept what my nursing colleagues tell me, just as I must accept the fact that morale is very low — a large number of people in the health service have spoken about this before — because of such matters as the building of expensive units which are not opened. The Leader of the House might be interested to know that, during the last Leader's reign, I used to ask him every six months — as if it were a tennis match — when the new wing of Mullingar Hospital would open. Can the Minister imagine what it does to staff to see such a unit there without any access to those facilities?
We constantly hear about the appalling situation in accident and emergency departments, and that is true. I recently went to visit a colleague who was on a trolley for days. That should not be the case. This constant problem has gone on for years. At the same time, we have a splendid unit in the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. Can the Minister imagine what that does to the morale of those in that hospital, not to mind the morale of those in the other accident and emergency units? Think what they could take off our shoulders if that unit were open.
I will describe the situation in Ballymun. Last winter, the old Ballymun Health Centre was virtually unusable for quite some time. They had trouble with heating and facilities for patients, and they closed down for some time. I know the general practitioners who work in that health centre. One could not meet a more devoted group. I know it is not the personal fault of the Minister that the funding is not there to open the new Ballymun centre, but it is his responsibility because he is in charge of the health services. It is very serious, not just from the point of view of the patients but from that of the people who work in those centres.
Senator Ryan mentioned Clonmel. It is very serious if ill patients are brought by ambulance from Clonmel to Cashel for surgical procedures. I was almost a child when the trouble started between Cashel and Clonmel. I am sure the Minister had not been born then. The fact is that these things go on interminably. I presume the people who have been employed in Castlebar will have to be paid. The logic defies me. There were advertisements for staff. I know the Minister sometimes has problems with people refusing to move, but more often than not they go, and there is certainly no way that anyone who in any way obstructs a move to new facilities would have support from me; it is outrageous. There must be some sense of addressing situations that have continued for years; if it were a matter of months, it would not be quite so bad. Great efforts have been made in the psychiatric system in particular. However, it took about 20 years to achieve that, and people working in the health service look at that now and wonder if it will take the same time again.
The Minister points out the good things that are happening, such as the medical assessment units, which began in Limerick while the one in Kilkenny seems to be going well. The Minister is ever so slightly optimistic about St. James's. There is no harm in this as one is entitled to seek a rosy future. However, do we really have new radiotherapy units in Cork and Galway? The last I heard, people were telling me about antique radiotherapy equipment in Cork.
Mr. Martin: The Senator should go down there, for God's sake.
Dr. Henry: I will do so.
An Cathaoirleach: Senator Henry without interruption. She should not be asking questions of the Minister.
Dr. Henry: The list is exhaustive, and while the Minister is not the person to be described as at fault, he is responsible for those not getting them up and going.
Mr. Martin: The Senator asked me the question. That is what drives me mad about the health debate. Anyone who knows anything knows the radiotherapy unit in Cork has a brand new system.
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Dr. Henry: The Minister has been driven mad now for about five years, so he must really be at his wits' end.
The length of time necessary to make progress on any of these issues is unbelievable. Perhaps the Leader will be able to fill us in about Mullingar Hospital.
An Cathaoirleach: There should be no questions to the Leader on anything of that sort. The Senator should make her contribution on the motion.
Dr. Henry: Sorry. I meant when the Leader speaks. Sometimes one can get absolutely no answers on any of these issues. How long is it since the radiotherapy plan for the country was issued? I understand why Waterford and Limerick have not got going. They want to get Cork and Galway going first. However, what about the two in Dublin? Apparently no decision has been made about the two radiotherapy facilities for Dublin. Some preference must be given as to which two hospitals, north and south of the city respectively, should provide this service. People must be told and those working in the health service cannot string this out forever. Decisions must be made. I cannot recall when Professor Donal Hollywood's report was delivered but it is a long time ago.
Mr. Martin: It is not.
Ms Feeney: It was only a few months ago. Professor Hollywood made a presentation to the Joint Committee on Health and Children.
Dr. Henry: I attended that session of the committee and it was months ago. A decision must be made. I was a member of Comhairle na nOspidéal, which was frequently blamed for the delay in the appointment of consultants, but I often found that the delay was longer in the Department of Health and Children because the financing is not available for posts long before they are needed. One consultant told me that he returned from the United States to take up a position here only to find that no beds had been allocated. It is pointless to appoint people to hospitals where no provision has been made for them to perform their function. I was afraid this consultant would return to the United States even though his services were urgently needed here.
It is a depressing situation. Having worked in the health service for so long, I clearly recognise the improvements that have taken place in procedures. I am also very aware, however, of the huge demand from patients and the attendant difficulties in provision, our ageing population, the very slow progress we are making in many areas and the dreadful effect the building of capital projects in which nobody is allowed to work is having on the morale of health service workers.
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