Marian Harkin warns of 'slow car crash' in healthcare response
Marian Harkin criticised the slow pace of non-COVID treatment planning and urged a review of the private hospitals contract. She warned of avoidable deaths, pressed for timely interventions and asked for the chamber's COVID risk assessment to be made available.
Key concerns raised
Marian Harkin told the minister she was "really, really concerned" that they are watching a slow car crash in front of their eyes. She argued that non-COVID care must be timely as well as safe and clinically effective, and warned many people are suffering unnecessarily and that some will die because of COVID, but not of COVID.
Examples of delayed care
Harkin cited correspondence from a gynaecologist in her constituency who cannot perform life-saving and life-limiting urgent interventions under current arrangements. She also highlighted local podiatry services where diabetics reportedly cannot get toenail care unless they are at risk of amputation.
Private hospitals contract and review
Harkin asked the minister to review and change the contract with private hospitals to make it work more efficiently rather than cancel it. The minister said he has an open mind and described a structured review process, involving other departments, starting at the end of the month and running to the end of June, and acknowledged extra capacity will be needed.
Chamber safety and risk assessment
Harkin raised the two-hour time limit in the chamber and the related 14-day isolation recommendation if someone with COVID is present, asking for the underlying risk assessment to be published. The minister said the document was obtained by the Oroxis and should be made available; it was later confirmed the document is available.
Secondary mortality and next steps
Both Harkin and the minister underlined that secondary mortality and morbidity from delayed care will be a major challenge. They urged prompt action, timely interventions and a rethink of how available capacity - including private hospitals - is used to prevent avoidable harm.
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Thank you, Minister, for coming in to answer our questions. Earlier I was listening. When you spoke of the HSE plans for non-COVID treatment, you said it had to be safe and clinically effective. But one word you didn't use, Minister, was timely. You said there'd be a plan within two weeks. But unless intervention is timely, it's not effective. Now, to be honest, and I'm not being political, I was going to say it's only you and me in the Chamber, but there's only a few of us. I'm really, really concerned that we're watching a slow car crash in front of our eyes. So many people suffering unnecessarily. So many people will die because of COVID, but not of COVID. And I'm not putting that responsibility on your shoulders. It's not your responsibility. But one of your areas of responsibility is this contract with the private hospitals. And I did hear you saying you had an open mind and that you were going to look at it again. And I would ask you, Minister, to please look at it again. Because I've had so much correspondence, for example, from a gynaecologist in a private hospital in my constituency, who has many women who need life-saving and life-limiting, urgent interventions, and she can't perform any of them, to the local podiatry service, where, and I'm paraphrasing, and this is for diabetics, unless you're in danger of amputation, you can't get your nails seen through your toenails. And I'm paraphrasing, but that's the bottom line. So it's those kind of circumstances that we need speed on. So that's just my comments. And I wait to hear what you have to say. But I've spoken to you about this before in this house. And while I'm not saying cancel the contract, I'm saying review it, change it, and get it to work more efficiently. My question is, we have our two-hour time limit here, where if any of it spend more than two hours in the chamber, and somebody has COVID who's in the chamber also, we have to isolate for 14 days. That's the recommendation that's given. Now, we're socially distanced here. We're hand sanitised, going in and going out. So my question is, is that risk assessment detail? Can you make that available to the people in the house? Thank you. Minister. Correction, Deputy Harkin, but I believe that is a risk assessment obtained by the Oroxis rather than by me. It's certainly not by me, but I would hope the Oroxis would make it available to members of this house if they haven't already done so. So the point you've made about people who will die because of COVID, not of COVID, is a really serious and accurate one. And it's going to be a massive challenge for all of us. So while I'm growing in optimism that we're going to get through this COVID pandemic, not ignoring the awful loss of life and pain it's caused, our next big challenge is going to be secondary death, secondary mortality, secondary morbidity. There's a huge body of work we need to do in relation to that. On the private hospitals, we effectively took them over, if you like, for a purpose. If that purpose now changes, we have to be big enough and brave enough to change as well. So I do have an open mind in that. There is a structured review process to go through that will involve more than my department, Department of Public Expenditure Reform and others, starting at the end of this month, running to the end of June. And I do approach that with an open mind. But I do believe we'll need extra capacity. How we use that, I think, is a discussion point we should have. Thank you, Minister. Just for the information, Deputy Harkin, that document is actually available. That document is available. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister.
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