John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will not go on at length. I am very grateful for the Minister's response, which is very generous and compassionate on behalf of the Government and the State. He rightly referenced the awful nature of the exposure of front-line workers to the virus. Notwithstanding all the personal protective equipment, PPE, the virus is such an insidious thing that front-line workers are unable in some cases to escape it. In today's awful case, we can see that Dr. Ali succumbed to it after a considerable battle. I thank the Minister for his compassionate response and I expect nothing less from him. He has met the mark in that regard.

Of course, the Minister appreciates that the role of the locum is one of a doctor without roots. They move around different hospitals and in the context of the coronavirus, it exposes them even more. The upside of not putting down substantial roots in different places is there is an opportunity to have an impact on the lives of far more people, including the health personnel in different health settings.

As I said, I do not know the doctor's particular circumstances and I do not want to dwell on them. I know medical personnel who work in the field will be very gratified and delighted to hear of the compassionate and warm response of the Minister to this request. I thank him again.

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