David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste said that the waiting times at Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick are a cause for concern. They are not just a cause for concern, they are completely unacceptable. What is happening is shocking and scandalous. I put it to the Tánaiste that, in his constituency, people over the age of 75 who deserve better and who should be treated with respect and dignity waited, on average, 40 hours for treatment in the month of December. That is a scandal. The Tánaiste referred to beds. Some 1,200 beds were funded in budget 2021. About 200 of those beds have still not been delivered but the Tánaiste seems to think that is it. There was nothing in budget 2022 or in budget 2023. The Tánaiste seems to think the job is done, yet we have hospital management across the State screaming out for more beds and more capacity. The Government has to do more.

It is not just about beds; it is also about what is happening in the community. We do not have enough step-down beds or recovery beds. We do not have enough GPs, and out-of-hours GP services are collapsing. That is all putting huge pressures on our hospitals and on emergency departments. Despite the Tánaiste's talk, the Government simply has not done enough and much more needs to be done.

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