Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach. He mentioned that the Minister, Deputy Foley, brought this matter to his attention. What has the Taoiseach done since the Minister brought it to his attention? On behalf of the people of Kerry, I ask the Taoiseach to ensure that action is urgently taken to address this crisis to prevent people from dying unnecessarily. We need a resumption of elective surgery for the many people who are waiting and suffering in severe pain. We need an external and independent review of what has gone wrong so that the hospital can return to providing a safe level of care. That is what I am asking for.

We need to ask retired nurses to return to work. In light of the current crisis, we need the many highly skilled nurses who have retired to return for one, two or three days per week. We are in dire need in Kerry and urgent and drastic action is required to rectify the situation. People's health is their wealth. We must put the health of our people before anything else.

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