‘Party pledge not a personal promise’
Under opposition fire over his handling of the shutdown of emergency services at Roscommon Hospital, Mr Kenny claimed his election pledge to keep it open did not amount to a personal promise.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin accused Mr Kenny of misleading the Dáil.
“It was you who personally promised to tell it straight. It was you who denied to RTÉ and to this house that you made any promise in relation to Roscommon Hospital. And you were caught out. And I find it incredible that you cannot face up to that here in the house today and put the record straight,” Mr Martin said.
Mr Kenny said that a report by medical watchdog the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on patient safety produced after the election had changed the situation and meant that he could have “conscience nor cover” if he ignored those findings and something bad happened at a small hospital’s emergency department.
Mr Martin said HIQA had not visited Roscommon Hospital since February, and added: “So the idea that HIQA’s view on Roscommon suddenly changes everything is ludicrous.”
The Taoiseach insisted he had been reciting Fine Gael policy when he said the hospital’s ED would remain open if the party won the election, and said this was different to a personal promise.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the Taoiseach had handled the Roscommon issue very badly and made a mockery of his post-election claims that he would usher in a new type of politics.
Mr Adams warned that nine hospitals, including those in Mallow, Co Cork, and the Tánaiste’s Dublin constituency faced similar treatment.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health denied that Health Minister James Reilly used misleading figures about mortality rates at Roscommon hospital to support the decision.
The Roscommon Hospital Action Committee said it had obtained figures showing mortality rates were lower than Dr Reilly had claimed.
Dr Reilly told the Dáil last week that cardiac patients attending Roscommon hospital had a mortality rate at 21.3%, four times the mortality rate of those admitted to Galway University Hospital.
The committee said its figures showed that an overall mortality rate of between 3.5% and 6% at the hospital over the past three years.
