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

Some of the waiting times are very poor. The Tánaiste has said that accident and emergency departments might not be closed down but I believe it is possible that there could be a dramatic change in the nature of what happens in them. The point I am making to the Tánaiste is that there has been no re-evaluation of the trend, or the model that is being driven incessantly by the medics. There has been no evaluation of what has actually happened. That is my point. The tertiary centres cannot cope. When will someone cop on to the huge problems that have arisen since we centralised everything? I have been in the key tertiary models. There is no way they can cope with report after report without a proper overarching model being put in place. It needs intervention. I expect that the Minister is well briefed on this. He is nodding his head. I know he has not got the report formally but he will have been briefed on this by his officials.

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