Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the Labour Party is now waking up to this problem but it was in power with Fine Gael for five years. People are going blind and have gone blind on this and the previous Government's watch because of delays in being treated for cataracts. The aforementioned survey refers to waiting times of between 28 months and five years but there are people in Kerry and west Cork who have been waiting even longer. I know of one man who was waiting for seven years for surgery. His grandfather had a cataract removed in 1968 in Tralee Hospital. This country is going backwards. The Government is failing these people who are going blind. Myself and Deputy Michael Collins have arranged for several buses to travel to Belfast and we have more buses ready to go. They will be going for all of this year. Whatever the Government is claiming it is doing is failing because people are not getting called to have their cataracts removed.

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