Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The final issue I will raise is very irritating to me and to many others. "The Hard Shoulder" has run this story multiple times. What is going on with the recruitment of vaccinators? We are heading into a critical period.

We are now extending the deadline again. I have no clue why we cannot widen the criteria for vaccinators; I have no clue why we need birth and junior certificates or any of these things; I have no clue why professors, GPs, nurses or other retired specialists in healthcare cannot administer vaccines; and I have no clue why medical students who are nearing the end of their studies, together with a range of other people, cannot be recruited. We are not going to have enough vaccinators the way things are going, which would be criminal. Can the Minister please intervene in this matter to ensure that the ridiculous nature in which the recruitment is done can be addressed? Can he also address the range of recruiters we can get so that it is widened as soon as possible?

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