Dr. Laura Finnegan:

I touched on it briefly when I spoke about the type of abuse we witness in emergency departments or hospitals. I have been there when colleagues have been abused in front of me, and it is a very difficult scenario. I have been qualified for five years. I cannot quantify exactly the difference, and how much worse it has gotten or the exact level of it. I do not have the figures in front of me. However, the Deputy is 100% right. We depend on a lot on non-Irish doctors to support our healthcare system. We would be absolutely lost without them. The fact that they go through that extra level of dehumanisation and degradation at work is despicable. On top of everything we talk about that we experience, they have to deal with that every day while they are just trying to do their job. They are trying to take care of patients and support our healthcare system. It is an awful situation.