Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The bottom line is that this morning, 298 patients were on trolleys and as the Minister outlined, at 2 p.m. today, there were 217. This is not good enough. We need a lasting solution. We have put forward proposals and part of the solution is that we need to deal with the issue of beds and the issue of resources. We also need to look at the implementation of many of the constructive ideas put forward by nurses and doctors. I welcome that Liam Doran has been asked to act as a co-chair. This is a sensible proposal. However, we need to listen to the people on the ground and we need to ensure that our patients are treated with respect and our senior citizens are looked after in a fair way. That is the way to deal with the issue. The Government needs to put in the resources and stop giving away the extra resources from this year's budget to wealthy people. The resources should be put into our health services. That is the way to deal with this issue.

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