Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his words for Conor Sheehan. I absolutely agree with him regarding the immense hard work and commitment of medical staff throughout the country but he has given me a standard response on the recruitment freeze. The reality is that lifting the freeze for certain contracts and grades will fix nothing. It will not entice healthcare professionals back from Australia, Dubai or Britain. It is an indictment of the Government's healthcare policies that even now, even with the improvements listed by the Taoiseach, Conor Sheehan's family's story is not unique; it is replicated across the country. It is an indictment that we have come to accept that long waiting lists in hospitals are somehow normal. People go to hospital to get better. Hospitals should not be a place where conditions will worsen while people languish awaiting a bed. Our healthcare staff should be treated with respect and we should see the full recruitment freeze lifted across all grades, as our healthcare staff are seeking. We need to fix things. The Taoiseach has not addressed the issue relating to UHL. That is a particular stain on the healthcare system. I again ask the Taoiseach what he will do for the people of Limerick this winter.

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