With respect to the Minister of State at the Department of Environment and Local Government, Deputy Molloy, I have grave reservations about the fact that less than an hour ago three Ministers from the Department of Health and Children were in the House and that not one of them will answer a major issue in relation to health care, namely, the waiting lists for acute hospital services. I do not wish to be disrespectful to the Minister of State, Deputy
Molloy, but it shows the level of disregard in the Department and it is shameful that no Health Minister will come to the House to reply to this extremely vital issue.
I thank the Chair for allowing me raise the scandal of the increased numbers on hospital waiting lists. In June 1997 tackling waiting lists was seen as a key priority commitment by the Government, yet there are now almost 35,000 waiting for treatment. There are well over 6,000 people waiting for orthopaedic treatment, for example, hip replacement operations. Children as well as adults are on waiting lists. People are waiting so long for treatment that some will die for want of it. Already 110 people waiting for heart by-pass operations have died.
One per cent of the population is on a hospital waiting list, an incredible feature of society. It is a devastating reality for the people concerned, particularly at a time when the economy is booming and the Exchequer is awash with money. This week alone, one consultant doctor in St. Vincent's Hospital had three patients with cancer of the pancreas and two with cancer of the liver but could not get any of them admitted for surgery. One of the patients has been awaiting treatment since July. The tumours from which these people suffer do not go away; the cancer grows and spreads and, without treatment, the life expectancy of these patients will be severely shortened. At a time of plenty, they cannot get treatment. That would not have been the case 25 years ago.
We know from the reply to a parliamentary question I tabled that 41 beds were closed in St. Vincent's Hospital this year for an average of eight weeks. That works out at approximately 300 bed nights. I am not singling out St. Vincent's for any particular reason; it is a random example selected to put some kind of human shape on the statistics. The extent of bed closures is frightening, particularly in view of the fact that the leaked report from the review group has cited hospital capacity as an obstacle to treatment for those who need it. Over the summer, more than 750 acute beds were closed in hospitals, not for maintenance or refurbishment but purely for budgetary reasons. This highlights more than anything the necessity for immediate investment to deal with the waiting lists.
I read with interest the leaked findings of the report commissioned by the Minister. It is regrettable that, in spite of all the media coverage, the report is still being withheld. As a first step to show his serious intent, I suggest the Minister publish this report immediately. We are all aware that the Minister alone cannot tackle the waiting lists. The service providers — the medical profession, hospitals and health boards — all have a part to play. By delaying publication of the report, the Minister is sending out the message that he is not really serious about tackling the lists and that this is not really a serious issue. That people will continue to suffer and die is a serious issue which demands a response from him. Otherwise, the public might suspect that the Minister and his Department have succumbed to some kind of political sleeping sickness of their own.
Will the Minister address the fact that £800 million will be available to the Government in the forthcoming budget? How will investment be allocated to deal with the acute hospital waiting lists which are growing daily as a result of Government inaction?
