An ombudsman for the health service is urgently needed to restore public confidence, the Dail heard today.
Last Friday's death of pensioner Patrick Walsh in Monaghan General Hospital due to a lack of surgery beds in the region was raised in the Dail again. The Minister for Health Mary Harney revealed yesterday that a suitable intensive care bed was vacant in nearby Cavan Hospital and vowed an independent inquiry would publish a report within eight weeks.
Mr Kenny today called on the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to establish a health ombudsman and a patient service authority to defend the interests of the public. "If a train crashes, there is a special investigation team. If a building collapses, there is a special investigation team," he said.
"There is no patient authority service in this country. There is no health ombudsman to go in there with complete objectivity and independence.
"You must now move on to remove the confusion that exists from protocols and put in place a health ombudsman and a patient service authority that will see to it that these situations can be investigated quickly, professionally,independently so that confidence can be brought about in the delivery of the health service."
Mr Kenny claimed that Health Minister Harney had powers under recent legislation to give a directive to health service staff to carrying out a life-saving operation despite administrative blocks.
"If somebody is dying who can be saved, then whatever needs to be done to save that person, will actually be done.
Mr Ahern replied: "It is very sad when anybody dies or anybody is ill, but to start having political intervention is wrong.
"If Deputy Kenny believes that the solution to every problem is to give political directions, I'm not going down that road."
Mr Ahern urged everybody to await the findings of the independent inquiry, which is being carried out by a Belfast consultant surgeon.