Mattie McGrath: Condemns Health Insurance Abuses and Hospital Closure

More Good, Car Gheanle, Ca Willem Thara, Ca Willem Thara Cllanta, Ta tegen as lair a reat, he's like, Ca Gheanle mit fesda gan o'eymair, tart derring na gwintel a lawer, ca Gheanle mit fesda gan o'n thara, Ca Will Thih, he's never ever here to deal with serious debate, know to suspect him in sub-states Fian, but the minister for health he's so precious, and if he's here he's left before any of our groups come to speak, and it's the total abducation of his role as Minister and it's our right to have him present for these debates. Look at this debate anyway and someone referred to it as like the Finance Bill or the Social Welfare Bill. At least with the Finance Bill and the Social Welfare Bill people get something out of it and they might lose things out of it too but at least it's a code and piece of work. This is like a paper in the parlour for the stations. You come in here this bill because the health insurance is a Wild West out there and people have health insurance and you know and there's so many excesses on it. They're so restrictive for getting it and and then you you haven't the COVID you need when you go into hospital you have to pay all these excesses on top of it and it's totally unfair. We were two tier system not working. We went off then and did a massive deal for the COVID with the private hospitals. Instead of buying one of them, we bought in legislations to stop thousands of small businesses operating and we can't do anything with private health because we know the powerful men who own them. That's what's going on and we're lining their pockets. So we need to have a proper meaningful legislation that's robust enough and that would deal with the racketeering that's going on. Powerful and excellent specialists and surgeons and doctors and I support them and salute them but as I said the charges. Then go into hospital and my own brother-in-law lately went into hospital after having a mini stroke and my sister would remind them and the nurse insisted at A&E that she travelled back home 12 miles 11 miles to get his PPS number and get his get his private health insurance number because they want to even though he's sitting on a chair and didn't get a bed they want to charge that that that insurance they want to charge for the price of a bed. You stay in the Gresham cheaper or in the Bolington or any lot cheaper I get a lot of service too when you ask for service you get it because the nurses are so stretched but it's shameful what's going on. Insurance premiums have been hiked up to because of the claims and people don't even know this happened. If you're in there you're going to have a test or whatever just dip this little farm in front of you and you sign it and you sign anything if you're ill and you want to get better treatment so it's not right what's going on it's very very wrong indeed but then why wouldn't we have that and Les Calcola has arrived now why wouldn't we have that. When we had Minister Donnelly here to March April and May when the HSE secunded a lovely hospital a beautiful hospital that is there since the 1800s 1820 or something in Carrick and Shore they secunded that for Covid slip-down patients and we've been taught and I know the councillor Kean Burke really had working councillors from the town came up here and met the Minister Donnelly I met him the same evening and he was sure that would be returned as a hospital. There's three hospital beds in it do tremendous work and huge fundraising was done for that as well by the locals both South Kilkenny West Waterford and indeed in South Tipperary and we were told and we were told again by Minister Harris that it would be reopened and we're told today the staff were informed this morning it's done to shut finito gone as an institution a proud institution and a wonderful staff there and investments built in and they built a huge monstrosity cost 10 million then of a primary care centre right beside it and that's half empty full of and now we have the hospital that's gone no more hospice beds and promised by Minister Butler that there'd be some private arrangements with nursing homes everything is private push it out into the private sector where people are fleeced the care that they got in the palace of care there and the care that they got from the specialist nurses in the in there and the other ancillary staff helping there was fabulous and there was no one locally many people in Carrick and Shore were born there it was a maternity hospital and now it's no longer and the deceit and the lies that we were told is shocking and no accountability the minister now will not even reply to Councillor Bourke registered letters he won't even reply to him or neither will the Fianna Fáil the teacher he's Fianna Fáil leader he's so disappointed and that he serves the people on a voluntary basis almost and he trying to do his best and others and the people to campaign to have it reopened and now to find the lights are turned off and they're never gonna be turned on we're promised that's going to be a step down for diabetes or something else we want that there's a respite we want that for a hospital when people are really the areas that stepped off modern hospitals after after surgeries people have died now without the palliative care they were entitled to I know that the palliative care teams and nurses did tremendous work in their homes in the houses but people need a bed in the hospital that's where they are locked up gone away from the people now access after people fundraising so much for them for years to put them in there and they were putting in there in the new extension of the hospital beautiful I've been in it to see people over the last days and it's so sad so I mean the minister then he's gone like snow off a ditch I said before another night here he's gone out to like a cat wouldn't go to a skylight as fast when we get up to speak here and with fear I just had not been accounted for this house is scandalous thank you deputy