Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am filling in for Deputy Gino Kenny, who is staying away because he has to have a Covid test. I thank the witnesses. It is humbling to hear about the superhuman sacrifices our healthcare workers have made. That rings hollow because we could spend half a year clapping them and then spend the next year and a half insulting them with the sort of letter they got yesterday stating that childcare was their own business and the Department would not do anything about it. That is quite shocking. We should published the letter and show how disrespectful the Department of Health is to all front-line workers in the healthcare service. It is outrageous.

There are some things which jump out at me that have not been asked. One relates to the Be on Call for Ireland initiative. All of us remember that last year something of the order of 73,000 people responded to that initiative and that only 7,000 were interviewed. Of those, only a few hundred have started work. Has that been frustrating for the witnesses? Do they believe the matter was handled badly?

References were made, I think by the INMO, to the way recruitment takes place to the effect that it is cumbersome, that it is a burden and that it should be changed. I would like to tease that matter out, if possible, because it is shocking to see the number of vacancies that exist, including the 728 relating to consultant posts. Our public health system just does not function. I think it was the CMO who replied to a question last week by stating that the public health system would not be able to handle this surge we have in the virus. If it is not able to handle it, then serious questions need to be asked of those who administer our health services. Will the consultants comment on what is required for a decent public health system that can control the virus, administer vaccines and give control and power to the consultants to lead on these matters?

My final question is for Ms Ní Sheaghdha from the INMO. In light of her comments on long Covid, the psychological impact on nurses of having worked through three surges in our health system and the numbers out sick, should we still recognise Covid as an occupational disease, particularly given the impact it has had on nurses and midwives, including student nurses and midwives?