Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I am giving my opinion. People are paid to do a job and are given a budget to do it. We cannot have a midsummer rush every year, particularly with the economic crisis in which we find ourselves. We cannot have a midsummer hiatus every year, where hospitals state they are running short. All organisations, whether hospitals or whatever, have to operate within budgets. That is the situation in which we find ourselves.

We had a debate in the House recently on the reconfiguration of health services in the mid-west region in which we all took part. Not one person has contacted me since the reconfiguration was announced to make a complaint or to say the level of care they received was diminished in any way. That is significant. Perhaps other people have other stories to tell, but I am giving my experience and I am just one person.

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