Consultants have sought an urgent meeting with the minister responsible for mental health after he suggested last night some some consultants had long waiting lists to enhance their sense of power and prestige.
Finbarr Fitzpatrick of the IHCA
Secretary General of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA), Finbarr Fitzpatrick, told ireland.com he had sent a letter by email to Minister of State Tim O'Malley this morning.
The letter said Mr O'Malley's statements were "a cause of grave concern to the IHCA and to all Consultant Psychiatrists.
"It is imperative therefore that, notwithstanding your busy schedule, time be made available at an early date for a meeting at which these and other relevant matters may be discussed."
Following his comments on an RTÉ Prime Time programme last night Mr O'Malley said today he would ask the Health Service Executive (HSE) to "validate" waiting lists for children in need of psychiatric assessment.
He said that he could not justify his allegations until after this assessment. He said that 90 per cent of child and adolescent child psychiatrists were "excellent people", but, "like all walks of life, such as politicians or journalists, a small number are not as efficient as they should be.
"Why is it in one area that there is only a waiting list of a month or two while in other areas there is a waiting list of four years. That question must be asked, why is it true?" he said.
But Mr Fitzpatrick said consultants took exception to the suggestion that they were somehow to blame for long waiting lists.
"He's talking about validating the waiting lists. One would have thought if he was to make such a remark he would have waited until after they were validated.
"Nobody will disagree with the accuracy of the programme. But we have report after report gathering dust, and what you don't have is action."
Mr O'Malley said it was his priority "to do all he can" for children who cannot get the correct psychiatric care highlighted in the Prime Time programme last night.
"I am doing all I can to expedite treatment, the best treatment, for all children who have mental illness in this country," he added.
He said that there is an onus on the Government and the HSE to "get our act together," adding: "We intend 40 new child and adolescent psychiatrists over the next few years."
Fine Gael deputy health spokesman Dan Neville said last night's programme "starkly revealed the human suffering of those children and parents abandoned by Ireland's under-resourced psychiatric services.
"The fact is that child and adolescent psychiatric services account for only 5 to 10 per cent of spending on mental health services, while serving 22.68 per cent of the population.
"This under-investment has resulted, as we saw last night, in child and adolescent services which are either sporadic or non-existent," Mr Neville said.
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan said: "These children need support in their schools as a matter of urgency. This is a problem that could be easily solved if the political will was there.
"The Government must wake up to this reality. These parents will be looking to tomorrow's budget for some signals that their concerns are to be finally taken on board."
