Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is what I am talking about. The action as outlined in the correspondence yesterday could be done on a national basis by the Department of Health or the HSE actually talking to the Cuban ambassador and the Cuban authorities about the provision of doctors throughout the whole health service and for the hospital service as well. They are available but it requires the Minister actually to ask, to pick up the phone and have a conversation with them in regard to the actual possibility of this happening. This could happen quickly and could go a long way towards easing the burden while we wait for all those training places, as the Minister outlined, to come on board. Fortunately, the training places seem to be happening now, which is good, but we have heard about extra increases in training places for a long time and we have not seen any delivery on it. There will be gap between the training taking place and the actual delivery of the people and the easing of the burden on the health services. It is vitally important.

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