Action promised to address 'unacceptably long' Mayo hospital waiting lists
The Minister for State at Department of Health has responded to concerns that too many Mayo patients are being left waiting an unacceptably long period of time for medical treatment.
In reply to a Dáil statement by Mayo TD Rose Conway Walsh that over 15,000 are awaiting appointments at Mayo University Hospital, Deputy Ann Rabbitte said: "The waiting lists were too long before the pandemic but have worsened due to Covid-19 and the cyberattack.
"We are taking action to address this.
"For 2022, an additional allocation of €250 million will be used to fund additional activity in both the public and private sectors to reduce hospital and community waiting lists nationally.
"The additional funding means there will be a budget of €350 million available to support vital initiatives to improve access to acute hospitals and community health services.
"There is tremendous pressure in all the hospitals across the Saolta group.
"The staff are working incredibly hard, but my reading out what beds have arrived and what beds are coming on stream does not provide the care to the families who need it and does not give the hospitals the staff they need.
"Funding is not the issue at the moment. It is really hard to recruit staff into clinical posts."
Deputy Conway Walsh said it is not good enough for the government to say it will spend X amount of money to address the problems.
"There must be accountability within the system. We also need the resources to be targeted.
"We have built enormous primary care centres, even in parts of Mayo, yet people cannot have access to a general practitioner, GP, or to proper healthcare.
"Something has gone badly wrong. There must be capital investment in Mayo University Hospital.
"There is no point in telling us it will happen in 2024 or 2025.
"There has not been capital investment in Belmullet hospital as well and that is obviously having a knock-on effect on step-down services for Mayo University Hospital.
"The people in Mayo deserve better and need better at this point.
"The Minister of State has spoken about staff and looking after them, and I acknowledge the Trojan work they do.
"Why do we not do exit interviews with all the nurses who are leaving? Why do we not offer contracts that are flexible to meet the family needs of nurses?
"Why are we going around the world recruiting nurses when only 4% of students who do pre-nursing PLC courses go on to be nurses? The pathways are not there for our own people," she added.