Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy on our engagement with the public over the next three months and the three months after that. By the way, we can stabilise the numbers and get them down. We will do our best at the Government level. I know the deputy Chief Medical Officer and his team will do likewise, as will the HSE. This is important.

We know from experience that too many people up to now and in previous winters were in acute beds for far too long. When the acute phase of treatment was over, hospitals found it very difficult to find suitable placements, particularly when it came to rehabilitation. Some 631 additional rehabilitation beds will be provided up to April 2021 as a key mechanism to ensure people can leave hospital promptly when their treatment is over to go to a suitable placement for treatment afterwards. Approximately 4.76 million additional home care hours will be provided, which is also important, as are the additional acute beds in general hospitals and additional intensive care unit capacity.

We will also utilise the private sector for diagnostics and operations for public patients over the next number of months. I take the Deputy's point and the objective is to manage Covid-19 while also dealing with the non-Covid cases. In the original lockdown period, for a variety of reasons, we could not do that but on this occasion we will go for it and attempt to do it. Its success will be dependent on strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines and getting the numbers down.

See this speech in context