The leader of Independent Ireland has paid tribute to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Ballykelly and other private providers, saying if it weren’t for the work they do under the cross-border healthcare scheme, the waiting list situation would be an awful lot worse.
Deputy Michael Collins was speaking as hospital waiting list figures approach one million.
He says the Government should be using every available hospital bed, operating theatre and medical professional to get patients treated, and society should stop accepting these waiting lists as if they are somehow inevitable.
He says the cross-border scheme has shown that there are practical solutions available.
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Independent Ireland statement in full –
Collins: “One million on waiting lists is a national scandal – and without cross border scheme, it would be even worse”
Independent Ireland Leader Michael Collins TD has slammed the continued growth of Ireland’s hospital waiting lists, warning that the country is facing a healthcare crisis that the Government can no longer ignore.
With national waiting lists now edging towards one million people, Collins said patients are paying the price for years of Government failure to deliver sufficient hospital capacity.
“We are edging towards one million people on hospital waiting lists. Let that sink in — almost one million people waiting for treatment, procedures or appointments.
“ These are real people living in pain, unable to work, unable to live normal lives and waiting anxiously for the treatment they desperately need.
“And yet, incredibly, we continue to see capacity sitting outside our public health system while patients are left waiting.
“I want to highlight the enormous work being done by Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast and Derry, which have provided treatment to thousands of patients from the Republic through the cross-border healthcare scheme.
“Quite frankly, if Irish patients did not have access to Kingsbridge and other providers through the cross-border scheme, this situation would be an awful lot worse.
“Instead of allowing waiting lists to approach one million, the Government should be using every available hospital bed, operating theatre and medical professional to get patients treated.
“We need to stop accepting these waiting lists as if they are somehow inevitable.
“They are not inevitable. They are the result of political choices and a failure to properly plan and provide capacity.
“The cross-border scheme has shown that there are practical solutions available. We should be expanding access to treatment where capacity exists rather than forcing patients to sit on waiting lists for months or years.
“The Government needs to put the patient first and use every available resource to tackle this crisis.
One million people waiting for healthcare is a national scandal. The Government needs to stop talking about waiting lists and start getting people off them.
