Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)

Of course we need more level 4 capacity but - this is more philosophical - we also need to avoid a narrow drive towards specialisation with an ageing population. We need more generalists in the system. As a GP, I see that it can be a problem to find a general medical opinion. The only places where we can get those general medical opinions are in places like Roscommon University Hospital or Ennis Hospital in County Clare. We are not even getting them in level 3 hospitals any more. Medical personnel are deciding they are specialists in one area of endocrinology, for example, and are saying "I am only doing diabetes; I do not do anything else in endocrinology." We need to protect ourselves against this drive for complete specialisation because we need more generalists in the system.