Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am asking how the Minister for Health will address the deep concerns of both hospital consultants and general practitioners about the provision of health care in this country. I tabled this question because it is an issue of major concern. Hospital consultants have expressed very strong views about patient safety, the lack of consultants and supports in hospitals, the overcrowding in emergency departments and all that flows from that. A report commissioned last year outlines the difficulty the Department and HSE are having in recruiting consultants. If we allow this to continue, we will have a diminution of services because we will not have consultants to provide those services. A crisis is evolving in general practice. That is the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy White, so we will blame him for this particular part of it, but it is of major concern. There is no point pretending that this issue is not beginning to gather pace in terms of young doctors leaving this country because they do not want to practice here or that practices are under major pressure and strain trying to provide the primary care the Minister talks about rolling out.

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