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

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this very important motion. Research highlights the real burden that long Covid represents to the Irish population. We have an already overburdened health service, highlighting the importance of finding scientific solutions that can tackle the underlying mechanisms that are causing such diverse and debilitating symptoms. More than 27,000 people left Ireland's emergency departments before being seen by a doctor during the three-month period from July to September. I am not trying to say this is all down to long Covid problems but long Covid is adding to the problems we are having. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. some 10,679 patients who were admitted to hospital in October spent time on a trolley before securing a bed. This is an increase of more than 25% on the figures for October last year.

The situation with our GPs throughout the country is that they are overwhelmed. There are not enough of them. If we are to provide a proper healthcare service, we have to start from the ground up. We have to have the doctors on the ground in our parishes and communities. We have to have centres of excellence, of course, but we have to have more healthcare centres that can deal with people, whether those suffering from long Covid or other issues, and direct them away from accident and emergency departments because, quite simply, they cannot manage. As I did yesterday, I again want to pay tribute to those working in Kerry University Hospital. They are many criticisms of the management and various issues in the hospital but I thank those in that hospital and in all our community hospitals, whether in Kenmare or Cahersiveen, and in the nursing homes in County Kerry.

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