Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have a chronic and urgent issue with the low levels of doctor and consultant numbers. It is leading to the longest waiting lists in the history of the State. More than 500,000 people are waiting to see a consultant and 1 million people are waiting for diagnostic tests, consultant appointments, special needs services and so on. One of the biggest drivers of this is the massive pay disparity between existing consultants and new entrants. Will the Minister of State outline the status for new contracts for hospital consultants? How many meetings has the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, had on this issue with representatives of doctors and hospital consultants?

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