Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Kelleher. We have had a number of campaigns in relatively recent years about this. I was previously a TD from 2011 to 2016 and during that time there was a campaign by the younger doctors' division of the IMO, which I think was called "24 No More", and nothing happened. I was contacted by an Irish GP trainee who posted on social media and I think I was tagged in it. She said: "26 hrs later I'm finally finished my shift. Absolutely shattered. Time to get a coffee before I drive home. Sadly many doctors have lost their lives driving home from work following these dangerous shifts." She added: "Would you want an exhausted doctor managing your loved one in an emergency on the ward? Would it not make more sense to reduce the hours we can work per shift?"

Added to the personal danger highlighted by that trainee, there is also an increased danger of slippage in PPE, in that people might not use their PPE properly. How much more do we need? I appreciate that it is a funding issue and ultimately funding is determined by the Dáil rather than anybody in the witnesses' committee room but we have an ongoing crisis with inadequate human resources in our healthcare system, which are presumably caused by inadequate monetary resourcing.