Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)

It has given a knee-jerk reaction to a policy initiative that is demonstrably delivering treatment to and shorter waiting times for the public. That is an example of ideology getting in the way of the perception of service delivery. The Minister's National Treatment Purchase Fund initiative has proven that services can be bought privately in certain circumstances. Why not buy them in such circumstances? What difference does it make to someone aged 60 or 80, for example, who has been waiting for a hip operation for many months or years?

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