Ahern on defensive after A&E expose

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night angrily denied Ireland’s A&E crisis could be compared to the Third World as he came under intense pressure over the state of casualty units.

Stung by criticisms of health service conditions which were sparked by an RTÉ Prime Time investigation, Mr Ahern insisted the Government was doing all it could to turn the situation around.

The Taoiseach admitted there was “distress”, but he said two-thirds of the State’s 53 acute hospitals were providing an excellent service and record levels of funding were treating three million people a year.

Green leader Trevor Sargent raised the issue of the “Third World” tag which he said had been applied to the Irish health system by doctors on the Prime Time show.

Mr Ahern hit back at the claim, made by a doctor who had been based in Britain.

“Some English doctor would be best advised to look after his own medical services as the British have experienced and continue to experience many problems,” he said.

“Problems exist in approximately 13 of the 53 acute hospitals and we must try to get on top of them.

“The programme showed the distress of patients and their families and the conditions and waiting times in some of our accident and emergency departments.

“We understand the distress. That is why the Health Service Executive is determined to reduce unacceptably long waiting times for patients and all the other issues,” he said.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny insisted Mr Ahern should have felt “shame” at the situation.

He said it was scandalous patients had to “brush with death” due to fears over the state of casualty units.

“The programme exposed once again what is probably the greatest scandal of modern Ireland — the growing numbers of people who have to brush with death rather than go into accident and emergency units.

“As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we have failed to provide even basic health care for our people, especially the old and vulnerable.

“Eileen Reilly said she would sooner die than go back into an accident and emergency department.

“The late Jimmy Kerry asked his family why he was on a trolley when he would be better off at home where he had a bed.

“The fact is these people worked all their lives to build up this economy but their experience, stories and, in some cases, deaths prove how the Government has failed to use the wealth they created and generated to deliver a proper accident and emergency service to look after them,” the Fine Gael leader told the Dáil.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said that the scenes of “acute distress” broadcast were not acceptable in Irish hospitals.

“Is he satisfied to be the head of a Government which has stood idly by for nine years while the degradation and humiliation of older citizens, who have paid taxes all their lives was presented in such circumstances on view in Prime Time,” Mr Rabbitte asked the Taoiseach.