A Waterford TD says The Minister for Health has many questions to answer.
Sinn Fein Spokesperson for Health David Cullinane aimed Minister Stephen Donnelly in the Dail on Wednesday.
Referring to a listener's story raised on Tuesday's Deise Today with Damien Tiernan, Deputy Cullinane highlighted multiple failures within the health system.
"The minister for health doesn't have a plan. He certainly doesn't have the confidence to come into the chamber. I think this is the second private member's motion in recent times on health, that the minister for health himself hasn't been here, and I think we need to ask what his priorities are."
A 78-year-old Waterford woman who suffers from cardiac issues had to wait over 24 hours on a chair at University Hospital Waterford recently.
The woman, who was subsequently diagnosed with heart failure, arrived at UHW at 3 pm but still had no bed or trolley at 3 pm the next day.
"Tell the minister for health," David Cullinane said, "and I have given him advice which I have done time and again. There are four key issues that we are asking the minister to deliver on.
"One is to increase hospital capacity. The minister loves to talk about stuff that he is doing and talk up some of his successes. We see this in the very lengthy amendment that he tabled to this motion, which doesn't acknowledge any of the hardships or crises in emergency departments and hospital cancelations or what the front-line staff is going through."
University Hospital Limerick remains to have the highest wait times in the country, standing at 89.
University Hospital Waterford recorded two people waiting for a trolley on Tuesday.
Cullinane continued, "We need more beds and more surgical theatre capacity. We need more diagnostic capacity, and yet there's no pace or urgency on delivery from this minister for health.
"Lots of promises and were always waiting but no delivery."
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