Vol. 413 No. 7
11 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if she will make a statement on recent comments in a media report (details supplied) that health care to large sectors of the population in Ireland is a scandal and will only be improved when the issue of priorities is finally tackled by giving the public health doctor the pivotal role in the service.
The view expressed in the report referred to by the Deputy is an extreme view which is not correct. The health services in Ireland are generally recognised as being of a high standard. As the Deputy may be aware, a report on the role of community medicine was presented to my Department last year and discussions are on-going with representatives of the medical profession on the future organisation and role of the public health doctors in the health service.
Would the Minister not agree that her Department have failed in the development of primary care? Would she agree that the former Minister in a recent interview expressed his disappointment at this fact? Would she therefore try to address the clear defect in this area in the course of her tenure?
The question which Deputy Bernard Allen put to me was a specific one relating to my comments which he read in a newspaper article. As I am not aware of the reference to the interview with my predecessor, Deputy O'Hanlon to which the Deputy referred, I will not comment on it. With regard to the specific case alluded to by Deputy Allen, it refers to a comment made by Dr. Yvonne Doyle who is now working in the new UK health system. She obviously has great admiration for the way the UK health system is progressing. I had hoped that Deputy Allen would be here so that I could ask him if, as seems to be the case from his question, he shares her admiration for that system.
In direct reference to public health and UK medicine, has the Minister any intention of examining the Forrest report published two years ago in the UK which established beyond doubt that breast screening programmes have a positive effect and save women's lives? Is the Minister aware that there is a breast screening programme in operation in all regions of the UK? Perhaps we could look into that system and hopefully set up such a programme here.
The Deputy's question relates to a completely different matter but I will read the Forrest report and come back to her on it. I have no information on that matter now. I found, from my educational brief, that while one reads about developments in other countries and hopefully adopts some aspects of them one should not fall for everything that happens in the UK.
You can say that again.
Would the Minister agree that more money should be spent on primary health care, particularly on employing more public health nurses who have an increased workload due to the shortage of hospital beds? A greater investment is needed in public health care, particularly in the area of public health nurses.
I am sure what Deputy Garland is advocating is very desirable.
