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

As an aside, access to diagnostics is an important issue, particularly the issue of direct referrals by GPs into diagnostics. The reason we have such a build up of people on waiting lists currently is due to the inability to access diagnostics. We do not seem to be sweating the assets of public diagnostic services, which work on a five day week.

We should be imaginative and creative to change the rostering programme in order to make radiography and other diagnostic services available seven days per week. We should utilise the huge capital investment that has gone into this in recent years to ensure we have greater capacity in diagnostics in the public health system. It is a key area.

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