Danny Healy-Rae demands action over Kerry surgery waiting list
Danny Healy-Rae opposed a further extension of the "polls" and said he would not vote for another extension, arguing there is no exceptional need now. He warned of an emergency in Kerry where more than 2,200 people are waiting for elective surgery and urged the minister and the government whip to act.
Opposition to extension
He said the polls were introduced when there was an exceptional need and that he accepted that at the time. He criticised the mid-summer extension and said he would not support the current request for another extension because there is no emergency now to justify it.
Elective surgery wait in Kerry
He warned there is an emergency in Kerry, with over 2,200 people waiting for electric elective surgery. He said many more patients will not be accepted onto the waiting list because consultants have written to GPs telling them to send in no more patients.
Appeal to the minister and the whip
He appealed directly to the minister to engage with Deputy Griffin, the government whip, and to "put some scheming together" to help those waiting. He urged the deputy from Kerry to use his influential position to act rather than only speaking about the problem on local radio.
Consultants' warnings about the hospital
He noted consultants had written to deputies the previous week, saying they were meeting for the first time and expressing fear that the situation in the Kerry hospital is in dire straits. He emphasised people are suffering in pain and agony at home while they wait for operations.
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Sean Cawler, I'm glad to get the opportunity and Minister, I have to say to you, you got these polls back when there was an exceptional need and we accepted that there was a need at that time. You extended them in the middle of the summer and I was against that at that time and it looked like that this was the one and only extension. So here you are again, bare face today looking for another extension and but I can tell you I'm not voting for it because there's no exceptional need now and there's no emergency at the present time to create that need. But I'll tell you Minister, there is an emergency. There's an emergency in Kerry where there's over 2,200 people waiting for electric elective surgery. There's many more that won't be accepted onto that list because consultants have written out to GPs telling them to send in no more patients. And I'm appealing to the deputy from Kerry that has a very powerful position in this government. He's the whip and instead of talk, I'd ask him to talk to you about the problem that's in Kerry. Rather than just going on the Kerry radio telling the people of Kerry what they already know. People that are suffering in pain, people that are suffering agony in the garden and need to get their bits of surgery and to get seen by the consultants and need to get operated in. Not telling the people what they already know. Minister, I'm asking you to talk with Deputy Griffin, who's the whip of the government, and put some scheming together to help the people that are waiting for far too long. That's what I'm asking you to do. Deputy, just for clarification, he is talking to me as is Minister Foley. Thank you. Consultants wouldn't have written to all of us last week, telling us that they were coming together for the first time, telling us that they were afraid that the situation in our hospital in Kerry is in dire straits at present. Thank you Deputy Hidre, you made the point.
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