Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree it is unacceptable that families or individuals with a life-threatening illness, have to go back again and again to refill forms while a medical or some other kind of expert decides they do not yet qualify. It is not good enough. It impacts negatively on the health of the patient at the time. It is especially unacceptable they have to get a letter stating the person only has six months to live or something like that. That is not what was intended. I would love to know who made that rule because that was never intended. If it goes on like that, a lot of people will virtually have warrants issued. We are supposed to be compassionate and caring and we should be able to respond in a way that meets the requirements of the patient. Some of us have been patients. What are we waiting for? Do we need to weigh the cost of the hurt to the patient against the cost to the Exchequer, especially when we have overruns all over the place? The Minister does not have to respond. I will come back in again.