Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We will engage with that again. If the Deputy wants to have an engagement on that issue, I would be happy to accommodate him. I know where the policy came from, but I will not say. The impervious nature of some parts of the health service is entirely due to the fact that the only answer to it was to abolish health boards that had been doing a reasonably good job. I would not go there if I were the Deputy.

We are back where we are now as a result of all those decisions which were wrong. As regards the assessment of eligibility for medical cards, it would be a great idea if the patient's illness could be taken into account in the first instance while dealing with the rest of it afterwards. These situations are hugely challenging for individuals and their families.

Although we each have only a few short minutes to contribute, a debate such as this requires more time. I therefore look forward to a longer health debate in the not too distant future. While I do not claim to have all the answers, I do know a bit about it. I have served on various institutions that led me to getting a first-hand education in health matters. We have the combined wisdom to offer assistance to the Minister or his successors.

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