Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The announcement by the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, on Monday that 97% of junior doctors had voted in favour of industrial action demonstrates how frustrated and demoralised they are with their treatment by the HSE and the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly. Figures today show that 1.3 million people are still on waiting lists. The average time spent waiting to be seen in emergency departments is 11 hours, and it is longer for those aged over 75. Therefore, it is no wonder that representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, have said that nurses are at the end of their tether, cannot provide the clinical care required and are burnt out physically and mentally. Is it not time for urgent action to be taken by the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to meet the demands of the front-line healthcare workers? We need a firm commitment to establish a comprehensive, single tier and universal health service that is free at the point of use. Is it not time to take over private hospital capacity and bring it into public ownership to provide the extra capacity urgently required to resolve this escalating crisis?

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