Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I think we need to go further now. There was never a justification for a two-tier system. There has been a general acknowledgement with Sláintecare that that is the case. Now that we have the private healthcare capacity in our hands, why on earth would we go back? It does not make any sense. There is a problem with this contract because it is essentially rent to people who are making profit from health, whatever way one puts it. Why not take it directly under public control? That is the only way we can establish how much additional capacity we need but we certainly need significant additional ICU capacity generally and staffing levels across the healthcare system. Unless we have a single integrated system I do not see how we can even do that. The Minister also needs to respond to the INMO's demands in terms of pay parity for nurses with other healthcare workers, a big recruitment campaign and paying them the awards they were granted as a result of the industrial action. I would like to hear the Minister's response on that.

I have a final brief question although the Minister might not have time to answer. For a long time I have been asking about blood plasma therapy. There are trials going on and 500 people have signed up to donate plasma but the plasmapheresis machines in St. James's Hospital are currently sitting idle. I know that from somebody who went there and was told that by the staff. The results from blood plasma therapy are very good. If there are people who are willing to donate, why are we not collecting the plasma?

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