Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will double-check the figures that were given to Deputy Paul Murphy and I will check what the Taoiseach said earlier about the level of payment that is being made to private hospitals. The fundamental reason we have accessed this bed capacity is, in particular if Covid-19 intensifies in the way it could, the beds that are available in the private hospitals and in particular their intensive care facilities could play a critical role in keeping the country safe, avoiding loss of life and keeping more citizens healthy. That is the reason the Government made the decision to lease those facilities from the private health sector. Those payments will only be made available up to a maximum level and they depend on the usage of those facilities across the period.

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