Madam, - Deputy Tony Gregory's Dáil comments on delays in treatment of a patient in the Mater Hospital (April 2nd) appear to be another classic example of blaming the ills of the health service on consultants.
The reason the patient in question and many other patients of the Mater have not had their procedures undertaken is that the five-day ward where such procedures are carried out was closed for 10 months between May of last year and mid-March of this year.
The closure was due to underfunding by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and ultimately by the State.
It has been clearly articulated in relation to the TB case at the Mater - Peamount Hospitals that it is a doctor's decision to admit the patient. The corollary of that is that it is the health service managements' role to provide the facilities to allow the doctor treat the patient. Failure to provide the facilities is not the doctor's fault.
Deputy Gregory referred to the involvement of the National Treatment Purchase Fund in the particular case of which he spoke. The irony of the State seeking to have public patients treated privately (and therefore at greater expense), whilst public wards remain closed due to lack of money does not seem to have struck Deputy Gregory. He should also be aware that consultants do not have an obligation to the NTPF until such time as they specifically agree to treat individual named patients.
He is wrong to suggest, therefore, that a consultant has an obligation to treat a patient under the scheme because "personnel" in the NTPF consider that a particular course of action may be in the patient's best interest.
I agree with Deputy Gregory's comments regarding equity of access and paucity of elective treatment for public patients. That is why this association has called since its inception for sufficient hospital beds, theatres and rehabilitation facilities for our most vulnerable citizens.
I also agree with Minister Ivor Callely when he states that there should be no delay in treatment. The IHCA has pointed out the failure of this Government to fulfil its Health Strategy promise of extra hospital beds.
When challenged last January to tell us how many public beds there are in Ireland today, Minister Callely promised to give the figure within a day. We are still waiting. - Yours etc.,
DONAL DUFFY, Assistant Secretary General, Irish Hospital Consultants' Association, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14.