Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that over 200 therapists are involved in swabbing. That means 500 of the staff are not therapists. It also means that if there had been quicker recruitment, and there is a massive number of well-qualified and competent people who are unemployed because of Covid-19, the therapists could have been allowed back into their jobs. Can the Minister give an estimate of the increase in the waiting lists for many types of therapy that has occurred due to the fact that there has been a long, non-crisis redeployment? I can understand that during the first lockdown, the HSE had to do something fast. However, I do not understand why, at the end of the year, we still have over 200 therapists involved in swabbing. I would be interested to get some idea as to why it was not possible to employ non-therapy people. Can the Minister give an indication of the effect this has had on various waiting lists in the community healthcare organisations, CHOs, around the country?

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