Vol. 566 No. 1
56 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to address the severe funding crisis facing major teaching hospitals in the greater Dublin area, in view of the cutbacks and bed closures that a number of hospitals have had to impose and the implications of these measures for waiting lists and patient care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12105/03]
I have on a number of occasions acknowledged that this is a year of greater pressure in the health services and that the health sector will have to manage service plans during 2003 in order that spending is contained within the approved level. Given the significant level of additional investment in services up to and including 2002, and the fact that the actual exceeded the planned activity level in 2002, the structuring of overall service plans by health agencies for 2003 was always going to involve some containment of service activity in order to manage within budget. Under the Health (Amendment) (No. 3) Act 1996, otherwise known as the accountability legislation, health agencies are required to deliver a level of services consistent with their approved budgets. In a system that is demand-led and driven, in part, by high technology, any approach other than that set down in the legislation would create chaos in the health services. It would, ultimately, lead to the return of significant unapproved expenditure resulting in cash pressures which was the very reason why the 1996 legislation was introduced in the first place. It would also undermine the entire service planning process that is a key feature of the legislation and is a very positive aspect of the services since 1996. In regard to specific services both the ERHA and the Dublin academic teaching hospitals have identified the areas of cancer, cardiovascular and renal as high priority specialties which should be protected as far as possible.
The level of capital investment for the five major academic teaching hospitals which has been invested in recent years or is planned amounts to €781 million. This is a significant sum by any standards and reflects the Government's commitment to providing for a high quality level of service in these hospitals. The ERHA will report to my Department shortly on the overall position and a meeting between it and officials of my Department will take place this afternoon. A subsequent tripartite meeting between my Department, the ERHA and the Dublin academic teaching hospitals will be held to discuss the difficulties facing the health services this year.
Does the Minister suffer from amnesia? Not long ago he publicly promised there would be no cutbacks in the health service. Does he remember giving an undertaking that services this year would be maintained at last year's levels? Yesterday he stated he did not consider there was a crisis in the hospital service, despite the announcements by the five major Dublin hospitals. What does he regard as a crisis? Does he not believe we are now in a grave situation and that patient care is being severely undermined by the savage reductions in service the hospitals in question are being forced to undertake? Is he aware that 250 beds are being taken out of the system and staff hours have been reduced? Has he read the statement from the five teaching hospitals which states the actions being forced on them by the Government will impact on the fabric of the service?
How will the Minister explain to cancer and cardiac patients that the diagnosis of their condition will be delayed or its treatment denied? How can he stand over a position in which hospital wards are being closed when they are needed most and operations will not be carried out on seriously ill patients because he proved incapable and incompetent in terms of safeguarding and protecting hospital budgets? How did he allow this to happen?
Since I became Minister for Health and Children, I have been responsible for securing record increases in health funding and funding for acute hospitals across the country. As it happens, I have been criticised for this in some commentaries of late. The increased expenditure invested in our hospitals has resulted in increased activity levels and outputs. I defy any Member to state that cancer, cardiac and renal services have not vastly improved and expanded in the past four to five years in Dublin teaching hospitals and other hospitals across the country.
The word "crisis" has been used. Language is cheap. I have heard the word "crisis" used to describe the health service for the past five or six years.
We are lucky we do not have to use public beds.
The term has been used with gay abandon.
Closing beds in hospitals is a crisis and a disgrace.
Allow the Minister to speak without interruption, please.
Closing down hospital beds is a crisis.
We can all engage—
We are dealing with Deputy McManus's priority question.
Allow me to make my point.
There are 1,711 mentally handicapped people on waiting lists for residential care.
May I speak?
Deputy McGrath, I will ask you to leave the House if you continue to interrupt during Priority Questions.
Last year, the original allocation to the Dublin teaching hospitals was of the order of €795 million. The original allocation this year is some 9.6% higher. Admittedly, the original allocation in 2002 increased during the year and the outturn was higher, as it is every year. Yesterday's statement by the Dublin academic teaching hospitals, which I received around midday, compares the original allocation this year to the outturn last year. This is not a fair comparison in some respects. Last year once-off expenditure was allocated to the Dublin teaching academic hospitals.
Particularly during the election.
There is a need to dig deeper into the figures.
The six minutes for this question have concluded. We now move on to Question No. 58 in the name of Deputy Naughten.
Surely Question No. 57 should be taken in priority time.
I apologise. We now take Question No. 57 in the name of Deputy Ó Caoláin.
