Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the ICU beds in our system. The Minister for Health confirmed in recent days that we have 255 ICU beds in the system, which is half the European average per head of population and 15% of the ICU bed capacity in Germany, for example, We are an absolute outlier in this critical resource. In 2009, an independent report found that the public health service needed to increase ICU bed capacity by 45% yet since then capacity has fallen rather than grown. There is confusion within the hospital system as to what exactly the Government contingency plan is for ICU care in terms of Covid cases and non-Covid cases. We need a permanent increase in the baseline of ICU bed provision and, of course, the staff to service those beds. When will the Government publish a plan to increase ICU capacity to ensure the very urgent care for Covid and non-Covid patients?

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