Teachta Browne urged cross party support for the motion, which will be debated in the Dáil
tomorrow evening, amid scandalously long waiting times across Tipperary.
There are 1.34 million people on some form of health waiting list across hospitals, diagnostics, and
primary and community services across the state.
He criticised the Minister for Health’s Waiting List Action Plan as a short-term wish list that will not
address the fundamental problems causing long waiting lists.
Teachta Browne called on the Government to give health graduates a job guarantee. He said that
major workforce deficits need to be addressed as a matter of urgency, including targeted increases
in training places.
Teachta Browne said:
“Health waiting lists have spiralled out of control under government after government. Patients,
workers, and their families bear the costs for dangerously long hospital waiting lists.
“There are now 1.34 million people on waiting lists for community, hospital, and diagnostic services.
“Take the outpatient waiting lists affecting Tipperary people for example. At Tipperary University
Hospital, 3,912 adults are on the outpatient waiting list and 443 children. At University Hospital
Limerick, the figure is 41,029 plus 4,564 children. This is totally unacceptable and ordinary people
are paying the price for this government’s failure on health.
“34,520 people are waiting for scans such as MRIs and CT scans in the South/South West Hospital
Group, with over 7,234 waiting for more than 18 months.
“At University of Limerick Hospital Group, on which so many Tipperary people are dependent, the
number of people waiting for scans is 20,230 – with 6,839 waiting more than 18 months.
“These are just examples of the how Tipperary people are being impacted.
“Sinn Féin are bringing forward a motion in the Dáil to end the scandal of long health waiting lists. I
am urging all TDs in Tipperary to back it and ensure this vital issue is finally addressed.
“The issue of long health waiting lists is well known but despite this, the government has failed time
and time again to deliver the change needed. We need to see a step change in investment and
workforce planning to fix the health service.
“No waiting list plan is credible without a workforce strategy which deals with two-tier pay,
excessive hours, unsafe staffing levels, and outstanding agreements which have not been
implemented.
“We need to restore trust with the health service workforce and show the new generation of
graduates we want to keep them here.
“Sinn Féin would invest in more training places and give health graduates a job guarantee.
“We would also put in place new structures for good management of the health service which can
be held to account for waiting lists.
“This Government does not have the appetite or vision to fix our broken health service. Sinn Féin in
government would deliver the change needed to secure a health service that works.
"I am urging all TDs to back our motion in the Dáil to ensure that these much-needed changes can be
delivered and end the scandal of long health waiting lists.”
