There were no specialist units, no isolation beds or en-suites for cystic fibrosis sufferers, Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly told the Dáil last night.
"It is not just disappointing that services for cystic fibrosis patients are far below internationally acceptable standards, and that patients have to wait until 2011 for the new single-room block at St Vincent's hospital," he added.
"It is disgraceful that we continue to imperil the lives of cystic fibrosis sufferers, which is due to a lack of political will to implement clearly defined changes." Dr Reilly was introducing a Fine Gael private members' motion demanding better cystic fibrosis and mental health services.
He said that they had heard young cystic fibrosis sufferers bravely describe, on national radio and in the national papers, the deficiencies in services for cystic fibrosis patients and the unacceptable conditions they have been exposed to in hospitals.
Cystic fibrosis patients relied on the health service to keep their condition under control, he said. "The lack of isolation facilities, both for out-patients and in-patients, poses a serious risk of cross-infection, leaving cystic fibrosis patients vulnerable to contracting MRSA and other potentially life-threatening infections."
Dr Reilly said that the mental health clinic in Balbriggan was an old prefab with fungus growing out of the wall, where the nurses had to take blood from patients. "What would HIQA and their hygiene report have to say about that? Minister, like everything else in health, you pay lip service but little else."
Tom Hayes (FG, Tipperary South) said that screening at birth for all children was absolutely imperative for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. "Care in Ireland is so poor that families consider emigrating abroad in order to avail of the care there."
Minister of State for Health Dr Jimmy Devins said that additional funding of €6.78 million would help in the appointment of of 44 additional staff, covering both adult and paediatric services across a number of hospitals. The necessary funding was available to facilitate the recruitment of a further 37 staff nationally.
However, he added, it was accepted that those developments did not address the immediate needs of patients, so the HSE was currently fast-tracking the redevelopment of a ward that was adjacent to the main cystic fibrosis treatment area in St Vincent's hospital, Dublin.
The project was to start within the next few weeks and would provide six single rooms. On completion, additional work would begin to provide a further eight single rooms.
Dr Devins said that mental health expenditure had to be closely monitored to ensure that services demonstrated both effectiveness and efficiency. It was essential that the HSE demonstrated that the funds allocated were efficiently used, and that the substantial changes in the organisation and delivery of services were progressed in a timely fashion.
