Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

This was achieved by providing out-of-hours services, the winter initiative, the rapid access clinics where the services have commenced and to which people have been referred from accident and emergency departments and are receiving efficient services and use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. These initiatives were designed to help people. There are pressures at certain times of the year in hospitals. At other times, when there is less pressure they can take more people off the waiting lists for elective surgery. It is not always so easy to do this. While there are some staff difficulties they are not too great, as I understand it, from the Health Service Executive.

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