Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I agree with Deputy Naughten in that it is important we maintain our focus on the whole issue of bed utilisation and, more importantly, on getting people out of hospitals into the community, adopting the model the Minister is proclaiming in terms of primary care and allowing more treatments and more involvement between the patient and the medical services to be in the primary care setting rather than in hospital. We need to prioritise this. I hate using the word "incentivise" but we must give people an incentive to stay away from the hospital and go to their primary care team. I do not know how we are going to do that but it is important.