I have approximately ten questions to ask the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, in relation to the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown. Why is the €97 million building lying virtually unopened and unused at a time of great medical need in the area? Why were patients treated in the car park of the James Connolly Memorial Hospital last week while a beautiful state of the art accident and emergency unit lies completed for nine months but unopened?
Why is the accident and emergency unit currently in use in the hospital dilapidated and overcrowded, to such an extent that families and relatives cannot even stay with the patients while a new building remains unopened? Why did the patients have to go on strike – it must be a first in Irish hospital history – because of the dreadfulness of their conditions while the new €97 million building lies unopened?
Why do the Northern Area Health Authority and the Minister for Health and Children not recognise the massive increase in population in Blanchardstown, acknowledged by the county council this week to be over 90,000 people? Is the Minister waiting on the Hanly report to be published to effectively downgrade the James Connolly Memorial Hospital? Why are the major teaching hospitals in Dublin now referred to in press releases by the Department as the "five major hospitals"? Those five major hospitals no longer appear to include the James Connolly Memorial Hospital, although it is serving one of Ireland's biggest built-up areas.
What is the cost of keeping the new wing closed with just a small area in operation for some emergency cardiac cases as compared to the cost of fully opening the new €97 million building? Can the Minister give a definitive date for the full opening and commissioning of the building? Why are the wonderful staff of the James Connolly Memorial Hospital extremely demoralised? Why are many of the staff choosing to leave? Why are many of the Filipino nurses, brought here and trained at great expense, deciding to leave? This is another debacle of Government management.
This debacle at the James Connolly Memorial Hospital is affecting the 90,000 people who live in the Dublin 15 area, plus the other 20,000 people in the County Meath area who use the hospital. Why does the Minister for Health and Children not follow the advice of Dr. Neligan on radio recently and resign as a response to the disgrace of his lack of management of the hospital? This is despite the fact that over €100 million of public capital funds was spent on the building and the project completed some time ago. The Government is going slow on the final stages of commissioning the building to delay the opening. How can the Government claim serious management of the economy when we have a public scandal of patients in the car park and the accident and emergency department which one would not see in most parts of Africa? I say that from personal experience, having been in the accident and emergency department frequently.
A wonderful staff who give a service second-to-none are now largely demoralised. These are expensively recruited nurses, many who come from the Philippines, who give this excellent service. They are now being recruited by the British health service when many of them, if the options were there, would choose to stay in Ireland. Why does the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, not hand in his resignation?