Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their evidence and Members for their contributions. The one thing that has consistently come up in our engagement with the island communities and something to which the committee is very committed is the issue of pier infrastructure. It is not just access, as we may have traditionally perceived, but also the challenges for people who have mobility issues. The comment made earlier regarding infrastructure for the distribution of medicine was very interesting. This is something that maybe the committee can take up with the HSE. Then there is the broader issue of a dedicated team of allied health professionals for our island communities to deal in a hybrid way both physically and remotely with the needs of the island communities.

I will make two further suggestions. First, that the committee take the Limerick Declaration on Rural Healthcare and bring it to the attention of the Minister and see if it could be implemented. We need to look at the broader issue of health services in rural areas and we might engage with some of the witnesses here on that further.