Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept entirely the bona fides of the Minister and the Minister of State. Having listened to what the Minister of State has said, I do not think there is an understanding within the Department of the urgency of this matter. It is not enough to make reference to an investment of a full-year cost of €2.6 million “to enhance the service in preparation for the establishment of the NICU in the new children’s hospital”. It must be in place now. The NICUs must be operational now with the staff complement of specialist nurses, specialist doctors and consultants because that is the team that has to transfer wholesale to the new hospital. It will not be enough to build it up when the new hospital opens. It must be there now. I am calling on the Minister to prioritise investment in the human resources, staffing and facilities that are needed to have those NICUs in place so they can hit the ground running. It is not enough when the hospital opens to say “Great, we will use the facilities that are there to build up a team”. That team has to be in place now.

The reason I say I do not think it is understood here is that I have read what has been said in the papers by the people who work in this area. They do not feel it is there. It is not there and it needs to be if we are to serve all the children of the nation.