Deputy Michael Lowry has lambasted the operation of the health service saying despite billions of euro being pumped into the Health Services the system still fails to meet the needs of service users. Citing endless waiting lists, patients on trolleys, lack of ability to retain and recruit qualified staff, Frontline Staff burnout, under resourced carers and mental health services, Ambulances idling outside A&E’s and over burdened G.P’s. the Thurles Based TD called for an Independent Expert Group to be appointed to assess the Health Services nationally saying every aspect of this dysfunctional service should be dissected and explored. The Dail also heard that HSE Staff had informed the TD that the Service is going from bad to worse. The Taoiseach defended the service and the government performance.
Ireland has moved from 16th in the EU League Table regarding life expectancy to number one due he claimed to improved public health measures and significant investment in health services. The Taoiseach accepted that the planned provision of health services may not have taken population growth of over 1.5 million in 30 years into account. The government has allocated €350 million to improve waiting times in 2022. The Taoiseach promised that every patient waiting more than six months for 15 high volume procedures will receive an offer of treatment by the National Treatment Purchase Fund this year. The 15 high-volume procedures such as, for example, cataracts, cystoscopies and hip replacements, represent about a third of people currently on active waiting lists. Treatment will be offered to all 75,000 patients on the active Inpatient and Day Patient waiting lists at the end of 2021 by the end of 2022.
