Hospital bed record 'a sick joke'

A CLAIM that only 10 extra beds have been provided in acute hospitals between 2005 and 2007 was made yesterday by the Fine Gael health spokesman, Dr James Reilly TD.

Describing the record of Minister for Health, Mary Harney, as "a sick joke" he said official figures showed that the number of inpatient beds had only increased from 12,093 in 2005 to 12,103 last year.

"This is what the Minister has to show after three full years and a €40 billion spend - three inpatient beds a year," said Dr Reilly.

He said that in November 2006 the Minister had said, in response to a Dáil question, that "the Government's commitment to increase total acute bed capacity was virtually complete.

"In fact, by that time, the total number of inpatient beds had fallen by 42 beds during the first full year of the Minister's tenure. Between 2005 and 2007 the net gain in inpatient beds amounted to just 10.

This occurred over a period when health spending increased from € 11.9 billion in 2005 to € 15 billion in 2007," said Dr Reilly.

"This would be risible if it wasn't for the thousands of patients tragically affected by the Minister's ineptitude in health."

The Fine Gael spokesman said that there were 200 patients on trolleys each day last month and they could blame the Minister's abject failure to increase capacity for their plight.

"The 21,000 patients still on waiting lists for more than three months need look no further than the Minister who delivers nothing beyond soundbites.

"€40 billion and three years on, the Minister's record in health is little more than a sick joke," Dr Reilly claimed.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times