John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

It has taken a long time to change the culture within the health service and to provide the capital funding needed. It will take more than Deputy McGrath to ensure that happens. The Minister is committed and she has the bottle to take on the Opposition and the medical profession to turn the health service around. It is in all our interests that this is done sooner rather than later.

I encourage the Minister to examine what families require to care for the elderly and sick family members in their homes. If the appropriate packages are introduced, families will gladly look after their loved ones in their homes, particularly the elderly who wish to stay at home rather than in a hospital or a nursing home.

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