John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The additional recruitment is welcome news. The Minister's party was not a great champion of the NTPF but there appears to be an acceptance that it has a role, particularly in the short to medium term. Will the Minister comment on a statement made by Mr. Tony O'Brien at a meeting of the Committee on the Future of Healthcare yesterday? He spoke of a 5% to 6% increase in presentations to emergency departments year on year and the impact this is having on the acute hospital system and, in particular, on the bed capacity currently available to carry out elective work. He appeared to be implying that we will be coping with emergency intake as opposed to standard intake into the near future. What is the Minister's view?

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