Patients being let down by neurology services — Reilly

Fine Gael spokesperson on health, Dr James Reilly TD has hit out at the lack of investment in neurosurgery.
Speaking in the Dáil after the publication last week of The National Report on Traumatic Brain Injury, Deputy Reilly said Ireland only had 10 neurosurgeons — the lowest number per head of population in Europe.

The report found delayed CT scans, journeys in excess of 100km and weekday-only ambulance services were hampering the treatment of patients with severe brain-injury.
Deputy Reilly said Ireland had one neurologist per 210,000 people. “The next worst is the UK, with one per 164,000. France has one per 39,000. We have not been employing the consultants. Of the 245 consultant posts approved since 2008 — of which only 115 are new posts and 154 have been advertised — how many are for consultant neurosurgeons?” he asked.
Minister Harney said her figures showed Ireland had 13 neurosurgeons. “If we want to talk about the number of neurologists we have, we must also consider the number of junior doctors we have. We have an unprecedented number of non-consultant hospital doctors in neurology compared with anywhere else in the world.
“We have more than 7,000 hospital doctors. By any standard, that is a large number. The challenge for us is to switch it from non-consultant doctors to consultants,” she said.