Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The HSE asked for €200 million to deal with demographic pressures for 2015 and it got €25 million, which is clearly inadequate. When one reads the consultants' analysis of the draft action plan, they say it lacks any concrete, clear recommendations in regard to increased capacity. The question is why did the Taoiseach deliberately choose a policy at the beginning of 2014 of starving the fair deal scheme, neglecting our elderly and creating this crisis about which he was warned? Does he accept that current plans are inadequate to deal with the enormity of the situation that faces acute hospitals and what does he propose to do about it?

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