While the House was in recess difficulties arose in a number of hospitals resulting in theatres and beds being closed, deriving directly from nursing shortages which are particularly acute in the Eastern Health Board area, particularly in Dublin hospitals. In April this year the Mater Hospital had a shortfall of 67 nurses while Beaumont Hospital had a shortfall of 60 nurses. Currently the Mater Hospital has 3,759 patients on its in-patient hospital waiting list, many awaiting treatment for in excess of 12 months and far too many awaiting treatment for in excess of two years. Beaumont Hospital is in the same position. In the context of the Mater Hospital there are 1,359 cardiac patients awaiting in-patient hospital treatment, hundreds of whom are awaiting major heart surgery.
Yesterday I tabled a Dáil question to be answ ered by the Minister to ascertain whether the level of nursing shortages had further deteriorated and whether there were fewer nurses now available in some hospitals than was the case last April. I would have expected, due to the problems of 34,000 people on waiting lists and the ongoing waiting list crisis and the publicity during the summer months which indicated theatres and beds were closing due to nursing shortages that this issue would have had the personal attention of the Minister.
In the context of the threatened nursing strike, part of the problem in this area derives from the fact that nurses are over worked and feel they are working under far too great a pressure, particularly in the Dublin and Eastern Health Board areas, because of staff shortages. I would have expected the Minister to know where we stand in the context of nursing shortages and to have in place some form of strategy to tackle the problem. In reply to my Dáil question I was told by the Minister that the most recent survey of nursing vacancies was that carried out last April to which I referred and that he has no up to date information of any nature. In the context of his response to the question he said he would ask the health service employers' agency to carry out a further study of the position as of 30 September.
This is indicative of the Minister's neglect of our health service. I would have expected that a Minister half involved in his Department, in the context of discovering that theatres were closing in major hospitals with responsibility for national specialities, would have ensured that he had the most up to date information at his fingertips. I would have expected the Minister to be taking initiatives to ensure we made good the nursing shortfall where necessary in particular hospitals. I would have expected him to be liaising with the voluntary hospitals and indeed the health board hospitals and the health boards where these difficulties are being experienced.
I believe the Minister yet again is not taking seriously the problems and difficulties of nurses or the waiting list crisis. Apparently he believes that when theatres and beds close there is no particular need for him to even find out information, let alone intervene. I call on the Minister to take a far more active interest in this area, to actually do his job because I believe he is failing to do his job properly, is exacerbating the nursing crisis and the waiting list crisis and is directly responsible through his neglect of the difficulties in this area for the hospital beds and theatres which have closed and for people awaiting vital in-patient hospital treatment being deprived of the treatment to which they are entitled.