Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the programme for Government, it is stated that one of the main priorities will be health. Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has rightly dramatically increased the budget for health spending. I have supported this approach. I worry, however, that we are not getting a better long-term return on the increased spending. One of the main reasons we shut down society and the economy was to suppress Covid because we did not want our ICU departments overrun. I fully accepted and supported this approach. Can the Taoiseach confirm how many additional ICU beds are available in the health system as result of the additional spending on health? I would appreciate a simple comparison of the number of ICU beds available at the start of the pandemic, those promised in the programme for Government and those available now.

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