Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have raised numerous questions from my constituents about Covid, as have Deputy Mattie McGrath and others, but we never receive a reply from the Minister's Department. I hope that the Minister will come back to me about the questions I ask today. I have done my best to raise the concerns of those who want to have the vaccine offered to them but I am not forgetting those who have said that they are worried or will not take the vaccine. They also need a voice and to be respected.

Besides the issues with supplies, Ireland's vaccination roll-out rumbles on at a snail's pace. Clinics and doctors all over west Cork have been trying to get vaccines for their patients. The Clonakilty medical centre was supposed to receive 210 vaccines last week. It received 85. These were supposed to be administered to people who are between 79 and 85 years old. Imagine the disappointment of these patients in Clonakilty and the surrounding areas at being told that they are getting the vaccine one minute, and then in the next minute that there is not enough supply. I was speaking to a doctor in Bantry, where only 40% of the promised vaccines are being received. This doctor said that if they received the correct number of vaccines, doctors and staff would work day and night to administer it. The doctor said that there are patients who desperately need it so that they can get back to some type of a life that they had before this hit. One patient went to that doctor last week. This lady had not left her home in more than a year. Take a minute to think about that and imagine not leaving one's home for a whole year. This roll-out is not good enough. This Government has to fulfil its promises to people in this country, vaccinate people who want to be vaccinated, get the country back up and running and stop playing with people's lives.

Why has the Government not applied for the EU emergency support funding? The gardaí have been at the front line in the pandemic but are at the back of the line to receive the vaccination. They have been in contact with me and have asked when they will be offered the vaccination. Student doctors in Cork University Hospital, Bon Secours and Bantry General Hospital are being told that their contracts will not be renewed, which means that we will lose many of these talented doctors. We are letting down our guard. The pandemic is nowhere near over. I ask the Minister to rescind this decision and renew these contracts. Hospitals such as Bantry General Hospital need these doctors. I would appreciate a written reply about that issue.

Does the Minister really believe that lockdowns are working? People are dying all over the country and are in pain because they cannot access medical treatment or mental health services. Teenagers are being kept at home from school. One described it as the most exhausting, lonely and sad time of their lives.

I would like the Minister to respond to Vera Twomey who has been seeking and deserves a meeting. The Minister promised a follow-up meeting which has not happened yet.

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