Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

Organisations representing healthcare workers, namely, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, made presentations to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health yesterday, describing what I can only relate is the appalling position of front-line workers in the health service. A properly funded, well-run health service would have struggled with this pandemic but as the Taoiseach is no doubt aware, as a former Minister with responsibility for health, a properly funded and well-run health service is something we do not have and never have had. The only reason we do not have an absolute disaster in our hospitals is the self-sacrifice, hard work and double-shifting of our healthcare workers.

Last night, we saw healthcare workers responding to the third wave of the pandemic on the front line in Tallaght hospital with the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. The same healthcare workers are predicting a tsunami of lack of care and missed care post Covid unless there is a radical change in terms of funding, staffing, recruitment and retention, extra beds and serious resourcing of public health specialists and facilities. We knew before Covid-19 and we certainly know now that the "make do" attitude at the top of the HSE, the Department and successive Governments will not do; it is not acceptable and it must change.

The inability to provide good quality healthcare, regardless of income, is one of the many shameful failings of this State. We are one of the richest countries in the world per capitabut we continuously fail to provide for essential needs of citizens. Many issues were raised at the committee meeting yesterday, including a lack of protection in workplaces, where 12% of Covid cases are in healthcare workers. It is still an issue. There is abuse of trainee nurses and the random nature of the vaccine roll-out for healthcare workers because we are not targeting the most affected reasons. There is a lack of testing in hospitals, aside from when there is an outbreak. There is also the issue of childcare. It is appalling that the HSE has said childcare is not its problem and people had to deal with it individually. This must change and there must be a childcare allowance for healthcare workers.

I specifically raise the demand from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association for compensation to its members due to overwork, long shifts, etc. This is in addition to the recent claim from the health service staff panel. In England and Scotland, a once-off payment of £500 has been paid to healthcare workers and in France there has been a payment of €1,500. The key question is about post-Covid leave, respite and a chance to recover from fatigue and burnout. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment, on behalf of the Government, to facilitate this measure and start planning for it now?

See this speech in context