Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. This is a serious issue. We are looking for 104 nurses but cannot recruit them. It is not just a national issue; it is an international and European issue. We cannot recruit enough nurses. I welcome the Minister's interest in this. I have discussed it with him already and I believe there may be a resolution to it, which I welcome. I do not want a winter of discontent. It is very important that Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is fully and properly staffed. We need to pay nurses more, that is the key.

They need better career prospects and the public also deserves better.

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