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

I know that, as night follows day, the Taoiseach will increase funding and the allocation for the HSE and the health service in the budget. I ask him to, please, not let it be consumed by HSE management. I also asked him to do this last year. He needs to be specific with the increased allocation. Nurses throughout the country are under severe pressure, both mentally and physically. In the first place I am asking the Taoiseach to take County Kerry as an example. An extra 43 beds are needed, but we need 60 nurses to man them. Six beds are closed in Dingle because we do not have enough nurses. They are looking to recruit six nurses there. Nurses are under so much pressure. I will highlight just one case. When a patient's wife was going home the other evening, the nurse asked her to stay for a few minutes longer to help her to put the man into bed. The nurse was actually crying when she asked her to do so.

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