Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question is directed to the Minister for Health. I raise the health support workers strike planned for tomorrow from a different angle. What contingencies have been put in place in the event that the strike goes ahead? We hear about the fantastic work these health workers do on a daily basis. They are the cogs that turn the wheels in the HSE day in and day out. Understandably, elective surgeries will be cancelled tomorrow. In regard to inpatients, in particular older and vulnerable patients who depend on these services for basic tasks such as feeding themselves, will families be contacted and asked to step into the breach in the short term? I ask the Taoiseach to outline what contingencies have been put in place in the event that the strike goes ahead tomorrow.

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