Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government promised to increase the capacity within our hospitals, which means additional beds. This week, at a meeting of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA, stated we need to fast-track 7,100 acute community and rehabilitation beds, as well as doubling the capacity in ICU. A total of 25% of acute hospitals' inpatient beds could be lost as a result of physical distancing measures. Given what the IHCA stated and what is promised in the programme for Government, why are we failing to carry this out on the ground?

Belmullet hospital is a case in point. There are five patients within the hospital and there is a full complement of staff. There is no provision to do the slight maintenance work that needs to be done. At a Labour Court hearing on this last year it was recommended that four staff would be employed, but then the Government brought in the moratorium, so that could not happen. There are carers who cannot avail of respite and there are no step-down facilities. All we have is empty promises.

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