Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

There has been a lot of commentary about and criticism of the Government regarding the treatment of student nurses, even prior to Covid-19. If anything can emerge from this situation, particularly in terms of the review, it is how student nurses and nurses are treated. They are extremely dedicated to their vocation. The last nine months have been unbelievably challenging, not only for the student nurses and their families but the people that they care for. I hope the review will identify a number of issues. I was a healthcare assistant for a long time prior to being elected so I understand about student nurses being on placement and that it is an educational environment, but it is also an environment where the healthcare assistants do a significant amount of work and they should be compensated and remunerated for that. The retention of nurses is so important in this environment. When nurses graduate, they want to stay in this country. They are so proud of their job, but they will not stay here if they are constantly exploited and not respected.

See this speech in context