Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept that the Minister is trying hard but something is very wrong when the most vulnerable in our society have to wait so long in emergency departments. Many older people do not want to go into hospital because of the long waiting times. That is not good enough. Is he aware that the numbers are twice as bad as the same period last year? This is not acceptable, particularly as there is no major flu epidemic at the moment. What will it be like if there is a major outbreak or crisis? With respect, what is being done is not working. There are too many people aged over 75 and too many people in general waiting on trolleys in Cork hospitals. I often raise the issue of Bantry Hospital with the Minister because I believe that providing more funding for that hospital would help to alleviate the long waiting times and the overcrowding in the city hospitals.

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