Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I spoke with a midwife in Wicklow recently. She loves her job and loves being a midwife. She has undertaken all sorts of extra study, training and education, including completing a master's degree in midwifery. She works in one of the Dublin hospitals. She said that her job has gotten so difficult, the cost of living has gone up so much, congestion has gotten so bad and the conditions in which she is trying to treat mums and their babies are such that, with a very heavy heart, she is currently looking for a job in the local supermarket. I talk to nurses on the wards and I keep hearing stories of nurses being burnt out. This is particularly true in certain areas like emergency medicine. We know there is pressure on the entire system but are there particular pressure points where it is becoming more difficult, where INMO members are under even more pressure than is the norm? Are there pressure points in particular areas like emergency medicine, paediatrics, oncology or in certain parts of the country where, as a matter of urgency, we need to act immediately?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.