ELDERLY PEOPLE were living in undignified and cramped conditions in a south Dublin hospital, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed.
Mr Kenny said that the hospital was in Leopardstown, and was made up of four wards in an old house with added extensions.
"Each of these wards has 21 beds, 13 inches apart, which is less than the width of an A4 page. There is neither privacy, dignity nor respect.
"The medical staff and carers look after these people to the best of their ability.
"At 8.30am every day, when one talks of the Celtic Tiger and the huge amounts of money generated in this country over the past 20 years, reality dawns in this institution more than in any other."
Mr Kenny said there were 15 commodes in each ward, where "there is neither respect, dignity nor integrity, having been stripped away by the physical limitations of the building".
The management board, he added, had spoken to the HSE for a number of years, but nothing had happened.
"They have not gotten beyond the starting blocks. The hospital is located in an area where land is worth multimillion euro sums per acre. This is not the symbol of the Celtic Tiger that the Taoiseach wishes to leave behind when he moves on.
"This is not the way our elderly people should be treated. This is not what they should have at the end of their days: cramped space, curtains at the end of the bed and neither respect, dignity nor integrity."
Mr Kenny said he knew the Taoiseach was a caring person, and he urged him to visit the hospital to meet the management, staff and patients.
Mr Ahern said that during his tenure as Taoiseach, he had been to hospitals and homes around the State.
"I have seen the enormous improvements and successes, but also the enormous challenges. I have seen some of the community hospitals that, by their location or the age of the clientele, have pressing needs."
Mr Ahern added he had also seen the enormous increases in staffing ratios, medical and paramedical cover, ancillary facilities, improvements in life expectancy and physical improvements in the buildings.
"I will not say that of every last hospital, institution and home, many of which date back to the foundation times.
"The hospital at Leopardstown is one of them. Most of the hospitals in this city were built from 1860-90 and had their foundation in religious orders. Most have physical challenges in their structures."
Mr Ahern said Mr Kenny was acknowledging that "the staffing and loving care and attention" people needed in old age was very adequate and that the infrastructural problem was the issue.
He added that he would get an update on the issue.
Life expectancy, the Taoiseach added, had dramatically increased, which was a matter of pride. Because of that, the number of people requiring in-patient and community care was rising dramatically and would continue to do so.
